Ghost Whisperer
by Who am I. Well. I'm just Me
Summary: Being a kid has many advantages... like having the chance to see and talk with ghosts. Art by Sneefee
1. Chapter 1

I was reading some articles about ghosts so... I came up with this. I've read and watch documentaries that say children and animals are able to see spirits. Mikey is not a kid but he acts like one so... that's the reason why he could see this ghost.

I know, I know; it looks like the serie "Ghost Whisperer" and certainly it has some things about that serie but I hope you still enjoy this new fic of mine.

I don't own the turtles or the serie "Ghost Whisperer"

* * *

**GHOST WHISPERER**

"Guys, wait for me! It's not fair!" Mikey yelled at his brothers.

"Too slow, Mikey!" Raph yelled mockingly.

The four masked ninjas were now playing tag like when they were toddlers. Their little game had carried them to an old abandoned building in the north of New York. This was supposed to be a normal night for them, but somehow this night would change the life of a certain orange masked turtle… forever.

"C'mon Mikey, ya can run faster than that!"

"Hey guys, what about a change of game, huh?" Leo asked

"Hide and seek?" Don proposed.

"Hehe, I'm gonna enjoy this. Hey Mikey! The game is now Hide and Seek! " Raph yelled at Mikey as the others ran into the old building and found a place to hide.

"Aww man! GUYS!" Mikey yelled angrily.

By the time Mikey got into the building, his brothers were already out of his sight. The place had several rooms; it looked like a burned hotel because there were marks and signs of a fire that could have happened years ago. Mikey was a little scared but he had to find his brothers.

"Guys? Are you there?" Mikey asked. The silence was his only answer.

"I'm gonna find youuuu" Mikey entered into a room. There were many burned books all over the floor.

"Hmm… nothing here" He said as he closed the door.

The place was scary, the wind could make everyone shiver and it was strangely freezing cold. That's a bad thing when you are a cold blooded reptile with no fur or scarf to protect you. Mikey rubbed his hands trying to heat them.

"Brrr… this place is like a fridge, maybe worse" Mikey thought.

There was no sign of his brothers yet and the orange masked turtle was worried, scared and freezing.

"Guys, enough with the playing thing!"

Minutes passed and he hadn't found his brothers yet. He started to think that they had left him on purpose. He opened and closed doors but there was still no sign of the others.

"That's it! I'm tired of this; you wanna play hide and seek? Fine, do it… without me! You heard me? WITHOUT ME! I QUIT!" Mikey yelled to the air and started to go downstairs.

Suddenly, he felt something moving behind him and a cold breeze too.

"Hmm… so you finally decided to play, huh?" Mikey said smirking devilish. He heard a noise coming from a room that he hadn't checked yet.

"Hehe… ready or not, I'm gonna get you!" Mikey opened the door slowly.

"Raph? Leo? Donnie? Whoever is here, I suggest you to surrender!" Mikey said taking his Turtle Titan pose.

"Quién está ahí?" The voice of a woman echoed all over the room. Mikey couldn't saw her though.

"Oh-oh! Eh… are you ok… Miss?" Mikey asked hiding behind the door.

"QUIÉN ESTÁ AHÍ! LE EXIJO QUE SALGA!" the woman said with a terrified voice.

"Eh… Do you speak English miss? I can't understand you" Mikey asked.

"Y-yes… a little. Espera, can you listen to me?" the woman said with an accent clearly marked.

"Y-yeah, but I can't see you; it's kinda dark here"

The woman walked next to an opened window. She looked like a 30 years old woman with a pink shirt and a blue long skirt. Her hair was long and brown and she had a rosary on her neck.

"Now can you see me?" she asked.

"Yeah, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, creo… Let me see you" she said

"Eh… I guess is not a good idea" Mikey said hesitantly.

"Por favor… I have to see you" she insisted.

"Ok… but don't complain later" Mikey sighed and walked into the room. The woman gasped as she saw the giant talking turtle that stood in front of her.

"I didn't expect this… en verdad. Bueno pues, I think is better that nothing. I am Teresa, Teresa Ruiz"

"I'm Michelangelo but my bros call me Mikey… wait, aren't you scared?"

"A little, how old are you?" the woman asked again.

"Eh… 15"

"Hmm… this is strange, you are a teenager and still you can see me. I thought children were the only ones with that capacity"

"What are you talking about Miss Ruiz?"

"Mrs. Ruiz, por favor. I was married"

"Ups! Sorry"

"Well, it is good to meet someone who can see me after all this years" Mrs. Ruiz said cheerfully.

"Well, being here all alone… it's normal that not many people have the chance to see you"

"That is not the problem, Mikey; even if people came here… I think no one could see me now"

"And you say that because…?"

"Come on… not everyone can see dead people" Mrs. Ruiz said smirking friendly.

"Hehe, this is funny. For a moment I thought you said dead people… HAHAHAHA!" But Teresa remained in silence with a serious face.

"You're not… kidding, are you?" Mikey asked with fear.

"Unfortunately, no Mikey. I am not kidding"

"Y-you're… a… g-ghost?" Mikey asked stuttering.

"Yes, I…" Mikey disappeared before she could say something.

"WAIT! MIKEY! POR FAVOR, ESPERA! MIKEYYYY!" Mrs. Ruiz yelled.

Mikey ran as fast as he could, trying to escape from that place. All his body was cold, his face was pale and he was nearly about to faint; his heart pumped furiously and his bandanna was soaked in cold sweat.

"Do you think it was a good idea leaving him alone in that place?" Don asked.

"Yeah, I feel bad for that. Poor Mikey; that place was creepy" Leo said.

"C'mon guys! It wasn't that bad. It's not like he's gonna see a monster or a ghost" Raph said.

"Hey, isn't that Mikey?" Don said as he saw the orange tails of his brother's bandanna flying in the air as he ran.

"Yeah, I think it's him. C'mon, we have to follow him" Leo ordered.

"Aww! I was havin' fun!" Raph complained.

The three masked ninjas ran after his little brother trying to follow him but it was almost impossible. Finally, Mikey collapsed on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"C'mon Mikey…You… didn't… see… a g-ghost! I-it was… your… imagination, just that!" Mikey said between breaths with his eyes closed. After a few second he stood up and opened his eyes just to see his red masked brother in front of him.

"Boo!" Raph said teasingly.

"AHHHH!" Mikey yelled and it was the last thing he did before the darkness surrounded him.

"HAHAHAHAHA! This is priceless! Little Mikey here fainted! HAHAHAHA! C'mon Mikey, get up" Raph said laughing. But Mikey didn't get up.

"Mikey, enough with the dumb act. I said get up!" Mikey didn't answer.

"Oh my…! Mikey!" Raph kneeled beside his little brother and tried to wake him up.

"Raph, what happened?" Leo asked in concern when he arrived to the place.

"I don't know! I just stood in front of him and then he fainted!"

"His pulse is accelerated. We have to take him home and soon!" Don said. The turtles ran to the next manhole and ran as fast as they could through the sewers.

* * *

Well, what do you think?

**Yunuen**, if you're reading this: I want Teresa to be Mexican with your permission ^_^

REVIEWS PLEASE?


	2. Chapter 2

UPDATE!

I don't own them!

* * *

"Well, his vital signs are normal again and his pulse is slowing. He'll be ok in the morning" Don said.

"What could have happened to him? He was so pale!" Leo said in concern.

"When I found him he was shiverin' a little and looked haunted or sumthin'… it was like he had seen a horror movie!" Raph added.

"Maybe he saw something there, the place looked very old and with signs of fire… what if he saw a corpse or burned bones or maybe worse!" Don said in a worried tone.

"We should go back and check that building again, just to be sure" Leo said.

"I don't think we should leave Mikey alone; he could wake up and need something and…"

"Sensei is here, Donnie. And I'm sure the numbskull will be fine" Raph said.

In his room, Mikey was having his own problems to deal with while his brothers talked. He wasn't sure if this was a dream, an illusion or a nightmare, but he was all alone in a dark place surrounded by the smell of burned things. He tried to run away from that smell but it was impossible; then he found himself in the room he had seen Mrs. Ruiz. There she was, alone, sad and… crying? Mikey could swear she was crying.

"Danny…" she said between sobs. Then she looked at Mikey directly in the eyes: the young ninja was panicked! He ran and ran but he couldn't escape from her sight. Those dark eyes looked so sad but made Mikey shiver in fear.

"What do you want from me? Why are you haunting me? Leave me alone!" Mikey yelled in his dream. He woke up sweating and breathing rapidly.

"It was… just a dream… j-just… a dream" Mikey stuttered and hugged his arms around his legs. Klunk jumped on his bed and purred trying to comfort his owner.

"Hey, little fella. I'm glad you're here; I had the worse dream ever" Mikey said as he laid on the bed again and put Klunk on his chest.

"But now you're here, I guess I'll be fine" Mikey said caressing Klunk's head making him purr again.

Both were falling asleep but suddenly Klunk's eyes opened wide and stood on his four legs in an attacking pose, meowing and growling to a spot near Mikey's bed. With all the noise, Mikey woke up again.

"W-what… what's up Klunk? What's the matter?"

"Sorry, I didn't want to scare you Mikey" Mrs. Ruiz said. Mikey rubbed his eyes and looked again; this wasn't a dream, Mrs. Ruiz was there and he was awake.

"LEAVE ME ALONE, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Mikey screamed in fear.

"Wasn't that Mikey screaming?" Don asked as he heard the scream.

"Seems like he's having a nightmare" Leo said and went upstairs. He found his little brother looking at a specific place beside his bed, screaming in terror.

"GET AWAY, LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Mikey?" Leo asked in concern.

"PLEASE, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Mikey kept screaming and started crying a little.

"Mikey, Mikey! It's ok, I'm here!" Leo said sitting beside his brother who shivered and cried in fear.

"Mikey, are you ok? What happened?"

"There! She was there!" Mikey said pointing at the place he had seen Mrs. Ruiz.

"What are you talking about?" Mikey looked again… nothing.

"She's… gone… but…"

"Mikey, what are you talking about? There's no one there!" Leo said.

"Is everything alright here?" Don said entering into the room.

"He told me something about someone here in his room" Leo said.

"But she was here! I swear! Didn't you see her Leo? She was still here when you came in!" Mikey said.

"I didn't see anyone here, Mikey. Just Klunk and you!" Leo added.

"Maybe you just had a nightmare, Mikey. It's ok" Don said.

"Y-yeah… I guess you're right. Maybe it's… just my mind" Mikey said sighing.

"Ok, let's talk about this tomorrow. It's late and we all need to sleep. We're gonna let you rest Mikey, if you need something just call us" Leo said and stood up.

"NO! Please Leo, don't go! I can't sleep alone tonight! Please!" Mikey said grabbing Leo's wrist.

"Don't worry Mikey, I'll stay. Don, go to sleep. I'll take care of this"

"Ok, night guys" Don said and left the room.

"Mikey, can you tell me who is this 'she' you're talking about?" Leo said sitting beside Mikey.

"You wouldn't believe me if I tell you" Mikey said sadly.

"C'mon, of course I'll believe you. We've passed through weird things before and I don't think this would be different"

"Remember that old building when we were playing hide and seek? Well, I saw something there" Mikey said.

"What did you see?"

"A woman"

"And did she see you?" Leo asked a little shocked. All of them knew they couldn't allow themselves to be seen for humans except for their friends April and Casey.

"Yeah, she wasn't scared of me though" Mikey explained.

"That's new. Was she hurt?" Leo continued feeling a little relieved.

"No… but…" Mikey continued but was interrupted by Leo.

"Then why are you so scared?"

"Because she was dead! And…" Mikey tried to continue but Leo kept talking.

"So, you saw her corpse?"

"NO! Leo, let me finish please!" Mikey said angrily.

"Sorry, continue"

"She was dead, yeah. But… when I said I saw her I meant not her real self… I saw her ghost" Mikey said.

"A ghost? Mikey, ghosts are…" Leo was cut off by an angry Mikey.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me!" Mikey said angrily crossing his arms.

"It's not that, Mikey! It's just… weird and… sounds hard to believe. No living being had seen ghosts before" Leo explained.

"Well I did! And she was here! She followed me!" Mikey said scared.

"Ok, ok… this is getting weirder and weirder. I guess we'll have to tell this to Splinter tomorrow morning, ok? He'll know what to do" Leo said trying to comfort his brother.

"Ok, but… Leo…"

"Hmmm?"

"You believe me, right?" Mikey asked with a childlike tone.

"I… eh…" Leo doubted. He didn't believe him but he didn't want to hurt his brother.

"Just tell me the truth" Mikey insisted.

"I want to believe you, Mikey. But I'm kinda skeptic" Leo said sadly.

"That's another way to say you don't believe me" Mikey sighed.

"Mikey, I'm not saying that. Maybe you're right and you see a ghost or maybe you're not. We'll know that tomorrow, ok. You need to sleep" Leo said covering his brother with a blanket.

"OK, you'll stay here… right?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, I'll stay" Leo smiled and laid beside his brother. Tomorrow, it was gonna be a long day, long and weird.


	3. Chapter 3

UPDATE! I don't own them

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Mikey hadn't had a good sleep last night even with Leo's presence. Breakfast was too silence and the air felt tense. It seemed that the always happy prankster had lost his smile and changed it for a scared face. Mikey was too nervous that the sound of the toaster made him jump in fear a little.

"So, what happened last night with Mikey?" Don asked whispering.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you but we shouldn't talk about this now" Leo whispered back. Raph entered into the kitchen in silence (weird).

"Hey Mik…"

"AHHHH!" Mikey screamed in fear and pain. The reason? Raph's sudden appearance made him burn his hand with the hot pan.

"Mikey, you ok?" Don stood up and helped Mikey with his burn.

"Mikey, I'm sorry I…" Raph apologized.

"It's ok… It's… ok" Mikey stuttered and left the kitchen with Don.

"Whazzup with Mikey?" Raph asked in concern taking a seat.

"He's just nervous, maybe scared" Leo answered.

"Nightmare?"

"Uh-uh… he told me something about a ghost"

"A ghost? Heh! I knew that kid was watching too many horror movies"

"He was serious about that, Raph"

"So, whatcha gonna do about it?"

"I can't help him but maybe Splinter can do it with some meditation" Leo sighed.

"And what if that doesn't work?"

"It has to work" Leo said in a serious tone.

"I still think he's just seeing things" Raph said unconvinced.

"Anyway, we have to help him or he's never gonna let us sleep in peace"

Meanwhile in Don's lab…

"It doesn't look so bad, Mikey. This bandage will help but you can't force your hand for 2 days, ok?" Don said but Mikey was lost on his thoughts.

"Mikey?"

"Eh? Y-yeah… thanks Donnie" Mikey said.

"Mikey, are you ok? You look… distracted. Well, more than ever" Don tried to sound funny just to calm Mikey.

"I'm fine Don, really. It's just… I couldn't sleep very well last night"

"Mind if you tell me?"

"I told it to Leo, he didn't believe me and he's the spiritual one. What makes you think it would be different if I told this to you, the logical one?" Mikey sighed sadly.

"Maybe I'm logical most of the time but that doesn't mean I'm not open-minded" Don said.

"Do you believe in ghost and spirits?" Mikey asked.

"Well, that's a hard question… eh… I've read something about them but… I don't think there's a way to see them or interact with them" Don explained.

"Hmmm… I see" Mikey said sadly.

"So, what was the question for?"

"Never mind, I gotta do the dishes" Mikey said leaving the lab.

"You'll ruin the bandage if you get your hands wet. Go and watch some TV, I'll do the dishes" Don said making his way to the kitchen.

"Master, may I speak with you?" Leo asked entering into his sensei's room.

"What is it, Leonardo?" Splinter said.

"It's Mikey, sensei. He was having this problem about… well… it's hard to explain" Leo said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Take your time, my son" Splinter said patiently.

"I think I'm not the one who can explain this to you, I'll go for Mikey… I'm sure he'll explain it better" Leo said and rushed to the living room where he found his brother with his gaze lost in the ceiling.

"Hey Mikey, sensei wants to see you" Leo said making Mikey came back to reality.

"Eh? Oh… Ok" Mikey and Leo walked to his sensei's room. The orange masked turtle wasn't so sure if his father would believe him after listening Don and Leo's opinions.

"Sit down, my son" Splinter ordered to Mikey.

"I'll leave you alone" Leo was about to leave but Mikey objected.

"Sensei, if you don't mind I'd like Leo to be here"

"Leonardo, stay please" Leo did was his sensei commanded.

"Now, Michelangelo. Tell me what is worrying you"

"Yesterday, we were doing our patrols and started a little game of tag. Then we arrived to this old building which looked burned; the guys decided to play hide and seek instead and I was so mad because I had to find them and it was unfair because…" Mikey was now talking too much and getting out of the subject.

"Ejem!" Splinter cleared his throat making Mikey stop his babbling.

"Oh, sorry. Anyway, I entered into certain room because I thought the guys were there and I saw a woman but not a real woman… it was her ghost! And I'm not inventing anything! I really saw a ghost and talked to her! She even told me her name, I swear! Now, when I was sleeping Klunk made some weird noises; I got up and there she was, beside my bed! I don't know how she followed me and what does she want from me, but I had this weird dream and…" Mikey was again babbling nervously but Splinter cut him off.

"My son, calm down. Let us start from the beginning; you said that this ghost told you her name?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Teresa Ruiz. She was 32 and she told me she was married, that's all that I know" Mikey said.

"Master, could mediation help Mikey to solve his problem?" Leo asked.

"Perhaps, but Michelangelo's mind is too troubled now and I can not be able to perform a meditation session until he is calmed" Splinter established.

"But do you think that could help me?" Mikey insisted.

"It will, my son. But now you must try to calm down and clear your mind. When you are ready come to see me. You are dismissed of your training today Michelangelo"

"Thanks master" Mikey said feeling a little relieved. Both turtles left the room.

"So, wanna play one of your video games?" Leo asked trying to sound friendly. He wanted his little brother to free his mind of all those thoughts so he would be ready for his meditation session.

"I'm not in the mood Leo but thanks" Mikey gave him a sad smile.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Leo insisted.

"I'm fine Leo but… maybe you can make me a sandwich. I'm hungry" Mikey said with a smirk.

"Ok" Leo went to the kitchen and Mikey sat on the couch sighing in relief. But a cold breeze made him shiver; he had felt that coldness before. He closed his eyes fiercely.

"Please, don't tell me this is what I think it is" Mikey mumbled.

"Mikey?" luckily, it was his brother's voice this time.

"Are you ok?" Leo asked in concern.

"Y-yeah… eh… I'm ok"

"Well, here's your sandwich. Peanut butter and strawberry jelly without the borders"

"Aww, thanks bro. You really know how to cheer up a turtle" Mikey said giving a bit bite to his sandwich. Leo looked at his brother happily.

But there was someone else in the room staring at the scene with a motherly smile on her face. She knew Mikey was the one who could help her. She had waited 5 years and now she needed to wait a little longer for Mikey to be ready.


	4. Chapter 4

UPDATE! I don't own them :(

* * *

Things were going pretty normal by now so the guys decided to go on patrol again and maybe after that they would go for a pizza or to April's place but their orange masked brother wasn't going with them.

"Are you sure, Mikey?" Don asked.

"I'm sure guys; it's just that I'm not in the mood for patrolling today" Mikey said.

"This is for that ghost, isn't it?" Raph asked.

"Of course not! I just wanna stay here tonight, besides my room needs some cleaning. I can't find one of my favorite comic books and I'm sure it has to be in some place in my room" Mikey explained.

"Ok, but if you don't feel… good, call us" Leo said.

"Relax bros! Go and get some Purple Dragons for me, ok?" Mikey said cheerfully.

"Roger that, bro" Raph smirked and left the lair being followed for his brothers.

Once they were gone, Mikey went upstairs with a mop and bucket. Yeah, his room definitely needed some cleaning. The orange masked turtle turned on his stereo while he mopped the room. Klunk was cleaning himself lazily in Mikey's bed.

"Seems like you are doing your own cleaning, huh?" Mikey said smirking. Klunk stretched his whole body and yawned, the cat fell asleep curling up into a ball.

"Aww, so cute" Mikey said looking at his now asleep cat.

He continued mopping and cleaning. His room was ready after 2 hours and now he was sat on the floor organizing his comic book collection. After three full boxes of comic books he still couldn't find the comic he wanted.

"It has to be here! I've cleaned up all this room, I've looked in every place and nothing!" Mikey sighed heavily.

"Maybe I haven't looked under the bed… no wait, I've checked that place already"

"Maybe you should look again, Mikey" A voice said.

"Hmmm… ok" Mikey looked again and there it was; in a dark corner under his bed.

"There it is! Come to Mikey!" Mikey said happily and slid a little further under the place where it was the comic book. Once he had it in his hands, he felt the strange cold breeze again and slid out rapidly just to face his worst nightmare just in front of him.

"My mother used to say the same thing to my brother when he lost his toys and they were always under his bed" It was Mrs. Ruiz this time. Mikey was frozen staring at her; if he would've been on his feet he would've fainted for sure. His mouth was full opened, wanted to scream out loud. Mrs. Ruiz sensed this.

"Don't...scream" Mrs. Ruiz said in a calming voice.

"W-why… where… w-wha…" Mikey babbled still in the floor.

"I know, I'm sorry for scaring you but I need you to help me!" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"How did you know I live here?" Mikey asked finally feeling calmed.

"I followed you; you left the place so sudden that you didn't give me the chance to tell you what you can do for me"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Ruiz but… you're dead! What can I do for you now?" Mikey said sadly.

"I can't leave without knowing if my son is ok"

"Your son?" Mikey asked with a puzzled face.

"Yes, I need to know if my Danny is ok" Mrs. Ruiz insisted "Last thing I remember was a huge fire and… everything went black"

"I'm sorry"

"Never mind, things like that happens" Mrs. Ruiz said smiling softly.

"So, you wanna know where your son is so you can rest in peace?" Mikey asked.

"Yes"

"And… how long have you been in that building?" Mikey asked again.

"5 years, 5 long years until now"

"But why me?" Mikey asked feeling a little scared again.

"I don't know, maybe it's destiny"

"Yeah, right" Mikey said with a little sarcasm on his voice.

"Are you going to help me?"

"Well, I don't know where I should start searching and even if I find your son… for obvious reasons I couldn't be able to tell him: Hey Danny! I'm Mikey, a ninja mutant talking turtle who's here to tell you your mother's ghost wants to know if you're ok so she can finally rest… without giving him a heart attack or worse!" Mikey said standing up and walking in circles as he talked.

"Please, Mikey. Please!" Mrs. Ruiz insisted.

"Mrs. Ruiz… I…" Mikey wanted to tell her to go away but those pleading and sad eyes made him reconsider his thoughts.

"…*sigh*… ok, I'll see what I can do" Mikey sighed.

"GRACIAS, GRACIAS, GRACIAS!" Mrs. Ruiz yelled happily making Klunk to get up. The cat growled at her in anger.

"Relax Klunk! She's a friend! She's not gonna hurt us, ok?" Mikey calmed his pet caressing his head making him relax a little.

"Aww, I love kitties! I wish I could touch him" Mrs. Ruiz said softly.

"You can't touch things? I thought you could do things like that… well, maybe I saw 'Ghost' many times"

"Hehe… that was just a movie, Mikey. Hmm… maybe I know the reason why you can see me" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"Eh?" Mikey asked in confusion.

"You're a teenager but you're still so innocent and naive… in a good way of course" Mrs. Ruiz explained.

"Hmm… so you think I'm naive, huh?" Mikey said a little offended sitting on his bed beside Klunk.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Mikey" Mrs. Ruiz said apologizing.

"Ok, ok. No big deal. Now, about your son; could you please give me more info about him? I don't know, maybe his whole name, does he have a father?"

"My husband's name is Teodoro Ruiz Santana; my son's name is Daniel Ruiz Vega. Teodoro and I were from Nuevo Leon and came here for my husband's job" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"Nuevo Leon?" Mikey asked.

"That is in Mexico" Mrs. Ruiz explained.

"So you are… oh, sorry… I mean, were Mexican?" Mrs. Ruiz nodded.

"No wonder why you had that accent" Mikey said.

"Is my English that bad?" Mrs. Ruiz asked sheepishly.

"No, no! Your English is perfect… almost. Anyway, that's the info you have?" Mikey said nervously.

"I wish I could give you more information but that is all I can remember" Mrs. Ruiz said sadly.

"Ok, I guess a friend of mine can help me with this. Don't worry Mrs. Ruiz, I'll help you. I promise" Mikey said. Right after that, the coldness in the room disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! I'm back with this story! I was kinda busy writing "Captive Freedom" so... here's chapter 5. Review and enjoy!

I don't own TMNT

* * *

"Guys, what if we go to that building, you know, the one where Mikey saw the ghost?" Leo suggested

"I don't know, what could we do there? We're not even sure if Mikey was telling the truth" Raph said.

"Well, truth or not, we can't leave Mikey alone in this. Maybe we can find more info about this woman like… I don't know… photos or something like that" Leo insisted.

"I don't think we're gonna find much there; the place looked burned" Don said.

"There's not harm in going to that place and take a look just in case" Leo said.

"Ok, ok. We're going, but if we don't find anything in the first two hours we're outta that place" Raph said angrily.

"What's up, Raph? Scared? "Don teased Raph.

"Keep it up, brainiac" Raph hissed angrily.

"C'mon guys" Leo said and started to move being followed by the others.

* * *

**Meanwhile in the lair…**

"Master Splinter, may I speak with you? It's about… Mrs. Ruiz" Mikey said.

"Have you talked again to her?"

"Y-yeah… I was kinda scared to see her again but then she told me about her life and…" Mikey talked nervously and paced through Splinter's room from left to right.

"Perhaps you should sit down and calm down first" Splinter said trying to calm his anxious son.

"Ok, ok… sorry" Mikey said breathing deeply and kneeling in the floor.

"Now my son, what did she tell you?"

"Apparently, she… died because of a fire in the building the guys and I were at last night" Mikey said.

"How terrible!" Splinter exclaimed.

"Yeah, she can't rest because she doesn't know where and how her son is. She also gave me some names but I don't know where to start searching. I promised her I was gonna help her and I will sensei but… I… I truly don't see how I'm gonna do that!" Mikey sighed sadly.

"Your intentions are noble, Michelangelo. But you need to be patient and think things clearly"

"Sensei, she has waited for 5 years! 5 years! She can't wait more sensei! I need to do something for her now!" Mikey insisted.

* * *

**Back to the building…**

"Found something?" Leo asked.

"Nope; just some burned books, broken glasses, destroyed furniture, blah, blah, blah. I think you got the idea already" Raph said.

"It has to be something else here!" Leo insisted.

"Guys! Come here!" Don called his brothers from a dark room.

"What is it Don?" Leo asked.

"I think this is what we're looking for" Don said showing them something that looked like a book.

"A photo album?" Leo asked again with a puzzled face.

"And that's interesting because…?" Raph asked.

"If Mikey can 'see and talk' with this… 'ghost'… maybe he could show this to her so she could give us more clues about her past" Don explained.

"Guys, yer sayin' ya seriously believe in all this thing?"

"I'm still skeptic but Mikey is our bro and if something is bothering him it's our responsibility to help him" Leo said.

"Ya know, ya could write a book with all the leader speeches ya say Leo"

"Ha ha, very funny Raph"

"We have to go back to the lair now. We have a lot of work to do" Don said.

"I still don't get why we're gonna do this" Raph grunted.

* * *

**Two hours later…**

"Hey guys, how many boneheads you hit tonight?" Mikey asked.

"None. We were kinda busy searching some information" Don said.

"O…k? So… what kind of information did you found?" Mikey asked in confusion.

"It's about yer ghost friend" Raph answered but still feeling skeptic about the fact that his little brother had seen a real ghost.

"You're saying you're gonna help me with that?" Mikey asked eyes wide opened.

"Yeap. We found this photo album in the room you saw the ghost; I guess I can do some research using the photos but I'm gonna need April's help on this" Don said showing the album.

"Can I see it?"

"Sure" Don said and handed the album to Mikey. Suddenly…

"No puedo creer que éste no se haya quemado!" A voice near Mikey said making jump in fear.

"AHHHH!"

"Mikey! What's wrong?" Leo asked in concern.

"N-nothing… n-nothing. Eh… guys, can I take this to my room for a sec? Thanks!" Mikey said rapidly and ran to his room.

"But… Mikey…!" Don couldn't end his phrase; his little brother was now in his room, door locked.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Mikey yelled to Mrs. Ruiz. The latter was so happy to see her photo album was intact that she started to talk in her native language.

"No quise asustarte, en serio! Pero todo se quemó en el incendio, bueno al menos eso es lo que creía y pues…"

"Wait, wait, wait. Whatever you're saying I don't care, just promise me you won't scare me like that in front of my bros again, got it?" Mikey said a little angry.

"Ok, ok. Sorry, but… how did you find this?"

"My bros went back to the place I found you. They're gonna help me to find your family"

"De veras?" Mrs. Ruiz asked smiling.

"Uhmm… y-yeah?" Mikey affirmed though he wasn't sure what she had asked.

"Well, that's good! C'mon, I have to talk to them!" Mrs. Ruiz moved to the door.

"Wait! Timeout! They can't see you, remember?" Mikey remind her.

"But I thought they could see me too… después de todo… you are… eh… aish, cómo te lo digo sin que te ofendas?" Mrs. Ruiz said to herself pacing around the room.

"Maybe if you start using more ENGLISH here….!" Mikey said getting a little impatient

"Ok, ok"

"So, you were saying?"

"You're… animals… well, kinda…" Mrs. Ruiz said hesitantly.

"Oh… I see. Well, we're not exactly normal animals as you can see. We're mutants but that's a long story"

"I'm sorry if that offended you"

"Nah! I'm fine. Just one condition: never scare me like that again; I'm still trying to accept the fact that I'm talking to a ghost"

"Ok, I promise"

"Well, now that we have this, my brother will be able to find your family but that won't be easy."

Mrs. Ruiz sighed heavily as she saw the photos in the album while Mikey skipped the pages. Suddenly she froze at the fifth page; the photo showed a young lady with a young man at her side holding hands.

"Mi anillo…" she whispered.

"Eh?"

"This, in this photo" Mrs. Ruiz said pointing at the young lady's hand.

"Whoa! That looks expensive!" Mikey said looking at the beautiful diamond.

"It was our second year together and that day he proposed me to marry him" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"Aww…"

"Yeah, but his mother didn't want me to marry him; she said I was going to marry him because of the money" Mrs. Ruiz added.

"Was he rich?" Mikey asked curiously.

"Kind of" Mrs. Ruiz said hesitantly.

"Yeah… right. Just look at that ring! He must have been rich!"

"Ok, ok… he was rich. But I never knew that until he took me to see his family. I loved him for his feelings not for his money" Mrs. Ruiz said seriously.

"Hmm… so if he was rich, why were you living in that hotel?" Mikey asked again.

"That hotel was the best many years ago but with the fire all that disappeared and we were there only for a month. We were going back to our country after that but…"

"I know, I know… the fire"

"This album means so much to me…all those memories…" Mrs. Ruiz said softly.

"Mikey! I need that photo album now!" Don yelled from downstairs.

"Aww shell!"

"It is ok, go" Mrs. Ruiz said with a smile.

"Thanks Mrs. Ruiz and don't worry, we're gonna help you" Mikey said and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

UPDATE!

I DON'T OWN TMNT! Unfortunately, Nick does ¬¬

* * *

Donnie and Mikey stayed the whole night doing research using the information Mikey could get from Mrs. Ruiz and the photo album but their work wasn't showing any results.

**2:30 am**

"Anything yet?" Mikey said in an impatient tone.

"No… *sigh*… maybe if we rest a little and tomorrow, well, today in a few hours, we could continue with this. I'm getting tired, Mikey" Don rubbed his eyelids in tiredness.

"But you don't say the same when you're doing your crazy inventions, do you?" Mikey replied.

"Mikey, this is different! We're looking for the lost family of the ghost of a woman who I'm not sure if it even exist!" Don replied back.

"Hey! Her name is Mrs. Ruiz!" Mikey said angrily.

"Whatever! Mikey, I really need some rest! Tomorrow we can ask April for some extra help" Don said as patiently as he could.

Mrs. Ruiz appeared suddenly but Mikey was now more impatient than afraid for her presence.

"Your brother is right, Mikey. I know you want to help me but… just look at him! He needs to sleep" Mrs. Ruiz said in a soothing tone.

"Ok, ok… sorry Donnie" Mikey sighed heavily.

"So, we'll continue tomorrow, ok? First thing in the morning" Don promised and left the lab.

"Alright, night Donnie" Mikey said.

"Pobrecito, sí que se veía cansado! You did good Mikey, you are a good brother" Mrs. Ruiz said smirking.

"Heh! Thanks Mrs. Ruiz" Mikey said with a long yawn.

"I think somebody else needs sleep too" Mrs. Ruiz said with a singsong voice

"But I can't sleep!" Mikey pouted. Mrs. Ruiz felt her motherly instincts emerging. Mikey may looked like a teenager but he still acted like a child… the child she never had the opportunity to raise.

"I can help you with that" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"Hmmm… ok"

Mikey went to his room and covered himself with the blankets; Mrs. Ruiz wished she could do that and have the tender sensation of covering a child with a warm blanket but as a ghost she couldn't touch things.

"Now, lay down and close your eyes. I will do the rest" Mrs. Ruiz said softly and started to sing a lullaby with a sweet and delicate voice.

"_Duerme ya, dulce bien_

_Mi capullo de nardo_

_Despacito, duérmete_

_como la abeja en la flor_

_Duerme ya, dulce bien_

_Duerme ya, dulce amor_

_Dulce sueños tendrás_

_al oír mi canción"_

"Aww… a…*yawn*… lullaby" Mikey said yawning.

"Uh-huh! I used to sing that song to Danny. Now, hush… you need to rest"

"Sing that song again, please?" Mikey said with his puppy eyes.

"Ok" Mrs. Ruiz said chuckling.

"_Duerme ya, dulce bien_

_Mi capullo de nardo_

_Despacito, duérmete_

_como la abeja en la flor_

_Duerme ya, dulce bien_

_Duerme ya, dulce amor_

_Dulce sueños tendrás_

_al oír mi canción"_

By the end of the song, Mikey was already asleep with a smirk on his face.

"Buenas noches, Mikey" Mrs. Ruiz said in a low voice. Suddenly she noticed the little baby in the photo album.

"…*sigh*… buenas noches a ti también… mi Danny… donde quiera que estés, tu mamá piensa en ti… siempre" Mrs. Ruiz sighed.

* * *

**The next morning… ****8:20 am-April's place…**

"Hey babe! Good morning, ya look great as always!" Casey said cheerfully.

"Casey! Hi! Seems like you're a good mood today" April said as she placed an ancient teapot in the cabinet of her store. Then she noticed something.

"Hmm… what are you hiding there?" April said referring to the thing Casey hid on his hand behind his back.

"Uh-uh-uh… it's a surprise. Close yer eyes!" April did it and Casey took her hand placed a little box on it.

"And… ok, ya can see now!" April let out a gasp of pure surprise and astonishment.

"Casey! It's… it's… it's beautiful!" April stuttered nervously and happy as she opened the box and saw its containt.

"I knew ya were gonna love it!" Casey said happily.

"But… this looks very expensive!" April exclaimed.

"Don't worry fer that! Everything for my girl!" Casey said pulling April into a hug.

"Aww, that's so sweet" April returned the hug and then they kissed.

"Whoa! Seems like we interrupted sumthin', don't we guys?" A Brooklyn accented voice said.

"Guys! C'mon! Don't gross me out!" Mikey said with a grossed out expression, then Raph smacked him on the head "Ouch! What!"

"Hi guys! This is kinda… unexpected" April greeted them.

"Sorry for showing up this early but we need some help with a research" Don said.

"Ok, what is it?"

"It's… eh… it's kind of a long story. Maybe we should go upstairs" Leo said.

Once they were all installed on April's living room, Mikey told them about his experience with Mrs. Ruiz, the place where he found her ghost, the photo album and her tragic dead.

"…and that's why she can't rest in peace. She needs to see if his son is… alive" Mikey said.

"Hmmm… that's terrible, I mean, the way she died… I can't even imagine how much she suffered!"

"And I can't even imagine ya talked to a ghost!" Casey said in surprise.

"Ya see? Even Casey is skeptic to this!" Raph said.

"Raph, we talked about that before" Leo replied.

"I know, but Leo… seriously, tell me if ya really, repeat, REALLY… believe in that stuff!" Raph replied back making an emphasis on 'really'

"I… well, that's not the point!" Leo said crossing arms.

"Guys! We're here for information, if you wanna argue about it then go back to the lair!" Don said in a serious tone.

"Ok, ok. Everybody calm down! Don, please show me the photo album" April said. She looked the photos and she noticed something.

"Hmm… these places… this is not New York, right?"

"No, I think that's Nuevo Leon" Mikey said.

"I see… well, there has to be some data about Mrs. Ruiz's husband. If he was here for business, there has to be something about him in the database of the company he was working for"

"Brr… don't ya guys feel a little cold here?" Casey asked.

"Please, tell me she didn't follow me" Mikey muttered.

"Aish! Bueno, discúlpame! But she's talking about me, remember?" Mrs. Ruiz appeared suddenly behind Mikey.

"Ok, ok" Mikey mumbled.

"Did you say something, Mikey?" April asked.

"Eh… no, nothing" Mikey said nervously.

"Well, do you know something about Mr. Ruiz's husband job?" April asked again.

"He owned a company of… computers of something" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"She told me he owned a company of computers and electronics" Mikey answered.

"But they're thousands of them all over the world!" Don said.

"I can not remember the name… uhmmm… it was like… something with 'Sky'…maybe…" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"How many companies with the name of 'Sky' exist?" Mikey asked.

"Wait… Sky? You mean, SkyTech?" Don asked.

"YES! THAT'S THE NAME!" Mrs. Ruiz yelled happily.

"Yeah! That one!" Mikey said.

"That's one the most important companies in the technologic division!" April said in surprised.

"And if he is the owner, we have some chances of contact him!" Leo said.

"Whoa! That was kinda easy!" Mikey said smirking.

"However, it had been 5 years and we're not sure if he survived or if he's in the town" Don mentioned.

"Can't we hack into the company's system?" Mikey asked.

"That'd be tricky and kinda difficult. SkyTech has the best security system in the world" Don answered.

"C'mon Donnie! You're a genius! I can't believe you can't hack into that system!" Mikey said kinda angry.

"I never said I couldn't do it, Mikey. I just said it was gonna be tricky and kinda difficult" Don repeated.

"Guys, maybe I can see him personally. I'll just go and pretend I want to see him for… I don't know… a complaint or maybe I can pretend I'm there just for business while Don tries to get into the system" April suggested.

"That could work; you'll have to take the helicopter though. The main office is in Long Island" Don said.

"Ok, Casey I think you should close the store today. I'll go and prepare the things for the trip. Are you guys coming?" April said.

"I think Mikey should go with you. Seems like his ghost friend is always with him and she could be useful" Leo said.

"Hey Raph, why don't you come with us?" Mikey asked.

"Which part of 'skeptic' ya don't understand?" Raph said grumpily.

"Aww! C'mon Raphie! Pleeeease?" Mikey said with his puppy eyes.

"I was going to say yes, but now that ya played the stupid nickname card…" Raph said.

"Sorry, sorry! Pleeeease?" Mikey insisted.

"Alright! Alright! I'll go! Jeez!" Raph said pretty annoyed. The guys went down stairs while April went to her room leaving Mikey alone… almost.

"Así que… Rafael sigue escéptico, eh? Mrs. Ruiz mumbled.

"Eh?" Mikey said a little surprised for the unexpected intervention.

"Nothing! Why did you insist him to come when he does not believe you?"

"I know he believes me but he's too stubborn and proud to accept it. I don't care, I'm happy he's coming and that's all that matters" Mikey said smirking.

"Mikey, aren't you coming?" Don asked from downstairs.

"Y-yeah! Wait for me!" Mikey said and left the room. This was gonna be a very busy day.

* * *

Ok, another update. Here's the link for the lullaby: http:/ w w w. youtube .com/watch?v=5-m4Pr7UExg

Thanks to YouTube for the song.

SkyTech is a fictional company and if is there any coincidence with reality well… I didn't mean it…T_T

I think the little gift that Casey gave to April could be crucial on this fic, don't you think? Reviews please!


	7. Chapter 7

**Long Island**

**10:45 am**

April, Raph and Mikey (and his ghost friend) arrived to Long Island after a few hours of fly. Don was already trying to hack into the company's systems, Leo and Casey went back to the building to find out possible clues to the mystery.

"April, status?" Don asked from the communicator.

"We already landed, Don. How are you doing there?"

"This is getting harder than I thought. This system has millions of codes and firewalls but I'm almost there. Just… another… more… and…" Don typed as fast as his fingers allowed him but when he was about to enter into the system…

"Aww shell!" Don exclaimed frustrated.

"What is it?" April asked.

"I need a password. Let me try with… Mr. Ruiz…" Don typed. Wrong.

"Hmmm… Teodoro Ruiz… *sigh*… Teodoro… nothing! Hmmm… maybe… Nuevo Leon…" Don tried again but nothing seemed to work.

"And?" April insisted.

"Still nothing" Don sighed.

"What happen?" Mikey asked.

"Don can't find the password" April said sadly.

"Password? Hmmm… Try with 'Guadalupe'!" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"April, tell Don to try 'Guadalupe'… maybe that could work" Mikey

"Ok, Don? Mikey says you have to try 'Guadalupe'. You got it?" April said. Don typed the name. Password accepted.

"It worked!" Don exclaimed.

"It worked, Mikey!" April said happily.

"Phew! What a relief! Thanks Mrs. Ruiz, but how did you…" Mikey asked but was cut off by his ghost friend.

"That is Teodoro's mother name" Mrs. Ruiz explained.

"Ok… I'm searching the data base but I still need you to go there and talk with the guy… if he's still working in that place though" Don said.

"Got it. Ok, it's show time! Oh! This is the perfect moment to use this!" April said a pulled out the gift that Casey had given her.

"Whoa! Is that thing real or I'm dreaming?" Raph exclaimed as he saw the little box's containment.

"For real, Raph. Casey gave it to me earlier this morning" April said smirking.

"I wonder what the bonehead had to do to get ya that" Raph teased.

"Guys, we're running out of time here! Chit chats for later, ok?" Mikey said impatiently.

"Right. Ok… *sigh*… wish me luck" April said and left the helicopter.

"April, wait!" Mikey yelled making her stop.

"Mikey?"

"Maybe I should go with you. You know, in case that plan A doesn't work" Mikey said.

"And ya have plan B?" Raph asked.

"Well, eh… I haven't thought of it yet. But I'll come up with something" Mikey said.

"I don't know Mikey. It could be risky" April said.

"Pleeeease!" Mikey pleaded with a smirk on his face.

"Ok, ok. But first… you're gonna need a good disguise"

"Leave that to me, guys" Raph said with a smug face.

The red masked ninja hid behind some trees and waited. A well suited business man passed near the place unaware of Raph's presence. Suddenly a three fingered hand dragged him into the shadows.

* * *

**A few minutes later…**

"Hey numbskull! Here!" Raph said and handed Mikey the suit.

"Whoa! That was fast" Mikey said in surprise.

"Now go before the suit guy wakes up" Raph said.

"Raph, where did you exactly get that suit?" April asked.

"Eh… It's a rental?" Raph said trying to avoid April's accusatory gaze.

"Raphael?" April asked again with a serious voice.

"April, explanations later!" Mikey yelled and grabbed her by the arm.

"Phew! That was close" Raph sighed in relief.

* * *

**Meanwhile in the lair…**

"Hey Donnie, got anything?" Leo asked entering into the lab.

"Yeap. Seems like Mikey was right with the info, Ruiz is the actual CEO of the company. Four years ago the company was managed by Frederick Coleman"

"So, do ya think the guy is in there now?" Casey asked.

"Apparently yes. We just have to wait for April's sign now. Any luck in the building?" Don asked.

"Just this" Leo said handing him a bunch of papers and documents.

"Letters?"

"There all in Spanish but seems like someone was threatening them" Leo said.

"I'm gonna need some extra time to analyze this. Leo, stay here and wait for April's sign. Call me if something happens" Don said and left the lab.

* * *

**SkyTech Building...**

"This place is scary" Mikey said.

"C'mon Mikey, it's not like if we're getting into The Foot's Headquarters" April teased.

"Well, I rather go in there than staying here for one more minute" Mikey replied.

"I told Teodoro this place was almost like a cemetery" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"You got that right" Mikey chuckled.

"Did you say something?" April asked.

"Eh… nothing!" Mikey stuttered. Then, a security guard intercepted them.

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

"Yes, please. I need to talk with the CEO of this company" April said calmly.

"Mr. Ruiz is not here in this moment but I can take your message" the guard said.

"He is lying" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"What?" Mikey asked.

"My husband always made up the same excuse" Mrs. Ruiz explained.

"But what if it is true?" Mikey asked back. His little chit-chat couldn't be seen or listened because of the big scarf covering his mouth.

"At what time do you think he'll be able to…" April asked but Mikey interrupted her.

"Eh… sir. I think that's a dog entering to the elevator" Mikey said.

"What! Excuse me, miss. I'll be right back" the guard ran to catch the 'dog', Mikey could just laugh at him.

"Mikey why did you…" April asked in confusion.

"He was lying" Mikey said.

"How do you know… wait, is Mrs. Ruiz here?" April asked feeling a little scared by the ghost presence though she couldn't see her. Mikey nodded.

"I see… well, what are we gonna do now?"

"Like I said, there's always a plan B. Donnie, you there?" Mikey said.

"Eh… Don's kinda busy now"

"Leo? What the shell are you doing there? Well, tell me later. I need to know if there's a way to go to the CEO's office without being seen"

"Sector 4-B is security free; you can go there and pretend you're workers" Leo said.

"Whoa! Did Don do something to your brain bro?" Mikey chuckled.

"Hey! Don's not the only genius here" Leo said feeling a little offended by his little brother's comment.

Mikey and April made their way upstairs. Suddenly, a young woman ran into April by accident.

"Whoops! I'm so sorry, miss. You ok?" the woman asked ashamed.

"Yeah, no big deal. Uhmmm… could you please help me to find the CEO's office?" April asked.

"Sure, in fact I was going there in this moment. Please, follow me" the woman said.

"Thanks" Mikey and April followed the woman through a large corridor.

"So, are you new here?" the woman asked.

"Eh… yeah, kinda" Mikey said.

"Well, this company seems to be scary and competitive but you know… don't judge the book by its cover. By the way, I'm Ann Sadler; Mr. Ruiz's secretary" the woman introduced herself.

"April O'Neil and this is Michelangelo Hamato, it's a pleasure" April said.

"No offense but… you're friend looks like some… hehe… spy or something" both women laughed at the comment.

"Mikey, I know that woman. We used to be friends, I chose her as my maid of honor" Mrs. Ruiz exclaimed.

"Really?" Mikey said.

"Eh?" Ann asked.

"Er… sorry, I was… thinking out loud" Mikey excused himself.

"So, what kind of person is Mr. Ruiz?" April asked in curiosity.

"Well, he is very kind and very good at business. But… since his wife passed away… he hasn't been the same" Ann said sadly "Well, here we are" Ann said opening the waiting room and leaving the place.

"Ok, Mrs. Ruiz! Ready to see your husband?" Mikey whispered.

"I'm so nervous!" Mrs. Ruiz exclaimed.

"Come in, please" Mr. Ruiz appeared. He looked like a 38 years old man, very well dressed with dark hair. He received them with a friendly smirk.

"Mr. Ruiz?" April asked.

"Yes. How can I help you Miss?" Mr. Ruiz asked.

"I… my friend and I are new employees here and we…" April introduced themselves but someone appeared into the scene abruptly.

"Teo!" A woman yelled with a shrilly voice.

"Deb? Eh… what are you doing here?" Mr. Ruiz asked in surprised.

"What! Can't your fiancée come here and say hello?" Deb asked as she hugged him.

"Honey, you know you can't come here while I'm working! Oh my…! Where are my manners! She is Deborah Sandoval, my fiancée" Mr. Ruiz introduced the woman.

Deborah wore a red strapless dress and black high heels. Her hair was blond and long; her eyes were green and she had a smug expression on her face.

"Nice to meet you" April said friendly.

"Yeah, whatever… anyway, I just wanted to remind you your mom is coming tonight for dinner, so don't be late. Bye sweetie!" Deb kissed him and left the room, ignoring April and Mikey.

"Please, pardon her. She's… eh… stressed for the wedding" Mr. Ruiz tried to apologize.

"Yeah… I see" April said trying not to feel offended.

"What do you think Mrs.…" Mikey noticed his ghost friend was already gone "Eh… excuse me… I … I gotta go out for a sec. Talk to ya later, April"

"Mikey, what's wrong?" April muttered.

"She's gone" Mikey whispered and left the room as fast as he could.

"Is your friend feeling ok?" Mr. Ruiz asked in concern.

"Y-yeah… it's just… eh… he forgot… he forgot his pizza in the microwave" April said nervously.

* * *

**Back to the helicopter…**

"Mrs. Ruiz?" Mikey yelled. He found her sobbing softly behind a tree "Mrs. Ruiz? Are you…crying?" Mikey asked in concern.

"Déjame sola!" Mrs. Ruiz yelled sobbing loudly this time.

"This is for Mr. Ruiz's fiancée, isn't it?" Mikey asked again.

"How could he do that to me? And with that woman!" Mrs. Ruiz cried.

"Do you know her?"

"She was his ex-girlfriend from high school; his mother wanted him to marry her. She's nothing but a selfish, smug, stupid…"

"Ok! Ok, I got the point!" Mikey said.

"And… she is going to be… the mother of my child! I can not let that happen!" Mrs. Ruiz exclaimed still sobbing.

"We'll see what we can do, Mrs. Ruiz!" Mikey said trying to soothe her.

* * *

**In the office…**

"Oh… well, let's go back to our business… Miss eh…"

"O'Neil, April O'Neil" April extended her hand.

"A pleasure" Mr. Ruiz took it and noticed a familiar ring on her finger "That's a beautiful jewel, Miss O'Neil" Mr. Ruiz expressed.

"Thanks, my boyfriend gave it to me this morning" April said happily.

"It looks like… no, it can't be" Mr. Ruiz muttered.

"What?"

"My wife, God rest her soul, Teresa had a ring like that. I bought it to her when I proposed her to marry me. Here's a picture of her" Mr. Ruiz said showing April a photo of a woman and a baby.

"Who's the baby? His son?" April asked.

"Yes. His name is Danniel but we call him Danny. He's 4 years old" April's eyes opened wide when she heard that.

"Really? Uhmmm… Mr. Ruiz… there's something that you…" when April was about to tell him the truth, Mr. Ruiz cell-phone rang.

"Oh! Excuse me, please. Hello? … … Yeah… … right now?... Oh! I see. Ok, I'll be there. Miss O'Neil, perhaps we should talk later, I have an important appointment now. I hope you understand" Mr. Ruiz excused himself.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ruiz. We'll talk later"

Mr. Ruiz and April left the room. The red haired woman called Don while she walked to the copter's direction.

"Don? Are you there?"

"It's Leo, any good news?" Leo asked. April smirked in victory.

"Tell Don we found the man"

* * *

UPDATE! YAY! I'm sorry for the loooong delay on this fic. Kinda busy with the finals and the hospital and the conservatory and... oh well... you got the idea. BUSY!

Reviews please! And don't forget to check out: Captive Freedom and Love Odyssey!

WITH LOVE:

WHO


	8. Chapter 8

**Long Island**

**20:45 **

**Location: Helicopter**

"I don't get why we're still here! Sure ya found the guy but we ain't doin' sumthin' just stay here with our butts stuck in da copter!"

"Relax, tough guy. We can't just talk to him and say: Hey! My friend, who is a mutant talking turtle, can talk with the ghost of your dead wife!" April explained.

"Whatevah… anyway, I'm getting hungry. Want some pizza?"

"Sure! I still remember your favorite one" April said.

"Hold it, April. Ya ain't goin' anywhere, I'll go" Raph said.

"You sure Raph?"

"Hey, I still have da business suit! Don't worry, I'll be fine. Keep an eye on the numbskull, will ya?" Raph said making his way to the next pizzeria disguised with the business suit.

April went into the copter but she didn't find Mikey there. She looked outside and found him sat below a tree, his eyes focused in the dark sky.

"Mikey?" April said softly.

"Hey April"

"You ok?" April asked in concern. Mikey wasn't so calmed.

"Mrs. Ruiz told me she doesn't trust that woman" Mikey said.

"Oh, you mean _Miss Pretentious_?" April teased remembering Mr. Ruiz's fiancée's behavior.

"Yeah, Mrs. Ruiz knew her. Well, at least she knows what kind of girl that Deborah is" Mikey added.

"And she's worried she marries Mr. Ruiz? I mean, for her son's sake"

"Yeah. She also fears for his husband; in Deborah's case, she DOES want him for his fortune" Mikey continued.

"Why Mr. Ruiz would marry a woman like that?" April said in disbelief. Mr. Ruiz was a kind man who was engaged with an evil and apparently heartless woman.

"He's naive… Mrs. Ruiz's words. I guess he's being manipulated for his mother or something. She chose that chick to be his wife while he was in high school!" Mikey said sighing heavily.

"Unbelievable!" April exclaimed.

"But luckily he met Teresa… much to his mother's dismay" Mikey continued.

"Is that her name? Teresa?" Mikey nodded.

"It's nice" April said smiling a little.

"Thanks dear. It was my mother's name" Mrs. Ruiz smirked at the compliment.

"Mrs. Ruiz says thanks. That was her mother's name" Mikey repeated Mrs. Ruiz's words.

"Is she here?" April asked. Mikey nodded and felt April tensing a little.

"What's wrong?"

"It's kinda scary… and nice… how does it feel?" April asked with a curious look.

"Huh?" Mikey said in confusion.

"Talking with a ghost" April explained.

"I was scared at first, sorry Mrs. Ruiz" Mikey said looking at his ghost friend and then continued "But then I knew her story and… I couldn't just not help her. Nobody wants to stay here once you're gone. Everybody deserves to rest in peace" Mikey stated.

"That was clever!" April said admired at his friend wise comment.

"Donnie's not the only genius" Mikey chuckled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Raph had already got the pizzas and now was going back to the copter. The screams in a dark alley made him stop.

"No! Stay away!" A girl yelled "Take all the money you want but please… let me go!"

"I ain't think so, cutie!" a man said grabbing her wrists.

"NOOOO! HELP ME, PLEASE! SOMEBODY!" the girl yelled with tears on her eyes.

Suddenly, one of the men got hit in the head by a soda can.

"Hey! Who's there?" the man shouted looking at his surroundings.

"Jhon? Ya ok, man?" the other man said still grabbing the scared girl.

"SHOW YOURSELF, YA COWARD!" the man called Jhon yelled. After that, a dark silhouette appeared ready to confront them. It was Raph.

"I'll show ya coward, dimwit" Raph said with a smug smirk and charged into attack.

It didn't take so much to the red masked ninja to get rid of those thugs. Once both of them were unconscious and tied to a trash container, Raph helped the girl to get up.

"Ya ok, lady?"

"Y-yeah… I'm… I'm fine. Thanks… I thought they… Ahh! My head!" the girl said and touched his forehead "Is this… bl… blo… bl…" the girl stuttered and fainted when she saw the blood on her hand.

"Oh crud! Eh… lady?" Raph moved the girl who had fainted on his arms. No answer, she was unconscious already.

"This day is just getting' better and better" Raph said grumpily.

* * *

**Helicopter - Two hours later…**

"Raph, what happened?" April asked in concern as she noticed the girl her friend carried.

"Some thugs, dark alley, lonely girl… not a very nice picture if ya ask me. Lucky her I was near or…" Raph explained.

"Is she hurt?" April asked again started to check if she had wounds.

"I think she just hurt her forehead but she saw da blood and just fainted"

"This… girl… looks familiar…" April said looking at the girl's face.

"Whoa! Seems like someone's hurt" Mikey said. Mrs. Ruiz noticed the familiar face in the scene.

"ANN!" Mrs. Ruiz yelled.

"What?"

"Ann Sadler, my friend! You met her at the office!" She explained.

"Shell! It's true! I better tell April" Mikey said and ran to the copter.

"If I could just remember where did I see her…" April muttered.

"April, that girl is Mr. Ruiz's secretary: Ann Sadler, remember?" Mikey said once he arrived to the place.

"Of course! Now I remember!" the girl started to open her eyes slowly and blinked twice to adjust her sight.

"W-wha… what happened? Where… where am I? Miss O'Neil?" Ann said recognizing April.

"Ann, you ok? Are you hurt?" April asked in concern.

"N-no… I'm fine. Just my… forehead and all the bl- blo… bl-bl…oo… I'm sorry, I'm hemophobic" Ann explained.

"That would explain why ya fainted" Raph said.

"It's ok, you're safe now" April calmed Ann.

"Yeah… thanks to this gentleman. Thank you so much!" Ann said hugging her savior.

"Yeah… yer wel…" Raph said sheepishly but the hat that covered his face fell down revealing his true self.

"Eh… oops?" Ann stared at him shocked and then…

"AHHHH! A TALKING LIZARD!" she yelled in horror.

"Aww shell! Why everybody we met always ends up sayin' da same! Give a turtle a little respect, would ya?" Raph said angrily feeling offended by the fact of being called lizard.

"Oh, sorry… then, AHHHH! A TALKING TURTLE!" Ann corrected her comment and yelled again.

"Thanks!"

"Ann, it's ok! He's my friend, his name is Raphael. He won't hurt you, I promise" April said trying to calm her.

"I… I must be a) unconscious, b) hallucinating or c) dead!" Ann said recovering from the impact.

"I don't think so, 'cause if you were dead I would know it" Mikey said appearing behind her.

"AHHHH! THIS IS AN INVASION!" Ann yelled before she fainted again. Everybody stayed silent for a second staring at the unconscious girl.

"I think she likes us!" Mikey said breaking the silence.

"Shut up, shell-fer-brains"

* * *

**Back to the lair…**

"Anything?" Leo asked.

"You were right. Someone was threatening her before and after she got married" Don answered.

"Ya think that could explain the fire in the hotel?" Casey asked getting into the conversation.

"Maybe, I just need more time, more info about Mrs. Ruiz's husband and a lot of luck" Don said.

"Well, the good news is April and the others contacted the guy this morning" Casey said.

"Maybe he had some personal enemies; you know: wealthy man, big company… there are many factors" Leo said.

"Or we could stay in the fact that his family wasn't so happy he got married with the 'wrong woman'… at least that's what Mikey said" Don commented.

"Ya think one of the lady's relatives could…" Casey asked.

"I'm not sure. But just look at these letters…" Don placed the half burned letters in the table, each one with his respective translation.

"_Cometiste un grave error,_

_nunca debiste _

_cruzarte en su_

_camino"_

_

* * *

_

"_Te lo advierto, _

_aléjate_

_si quieres _

_seguir viviendo"_

_

* * *

_

"_Esta es tu última oportunidad, _

_si sabes lo_

_que te conviene_

_te alejarás de su vida"_

_

* * *

_

"_He sido muy paciente pero _

_has hecho caso omiso de mis_

_advertencias"_

_

* * *

_

"_Lamentarás el día en que _

_mezclaste tu sangre_

_con la suya"_

_

* * *

_

"_Lo perderás todo"_

_

* * *

_

"_Te quitaré lo que más amas"_

* * *

"Hmm… what you love the most… her son?" Leo asked rereading the last letter.

"Exactly… now, if this person wanted Mrs. Ruiz's child… I don't see what's the point on killin'im with his mother" Casey stated.

"What if that person didn't want to kill him?" Leo said.

"What?" Don and Casey started at him in confusion.

"Think about it, this letter says he or she would take away what Mrs. Ruiz loved the most. What if this person wasn't talking about kidnapping and just wanted to… eliminate the obstacle… Mrs. Ruiz in this case" Leo explained.

"That sounds logical but… what about the police? Why they didn't see all these letters?"

"They must've thought there was nothin' but ashes in that place, Donnie" Casey said.

"I was surprised to find that box almost intact. The place was a mess when we got in there" Leo added.

"Well, all we have to do now is wait. We better go to sleep; I have a feeling that tomorrow it'll be a very busy and crazy day" Don sighed heavily.

And yes, he was right. Tomorrow would be a busy day, but what they didn't know is that they were too far to discover the truth.


	9. Chapter 9

Later that night, Ann recovered conscious once more and after three hours of explanation; she felt a little more comfortable with the mutants' presence.

"So… you ok now?" April asked.

"A little… I'm just pretending this is only a dream… a weird one, though. Anyway, if you're not working for the company then… what were you doing there?" Ann asked.

"It's kinda hard to explain. Mikey… maybe you should tell her" April said.

"The name Teresa Ruiz sounds familiar to you?" Mikey asked.

"Teresa? What do you know about her?" Ann asked a little shocked by the sudden question.

"It's another long story and we ain't have time. The thing is Mikey says he can see and talk to her ghost" Raph explain.

"O…k… this dream is getting weirder and weirder. First of all: ghosts and spirits don't exist and second…" Ann said but Mikey interrupted her.

"That's what I thought at first but I can assure you I can talk to Mrs. Ruiz's ghost and she needs my help" Mikey said.

"What could you do for her? She's dead! She's dead and you can't prove what you're saying! I don't even know why I'm still here, so… good night!" Ann said angrily and started to walk away.

"Tell her about the scar in her neck" Mrs. Ruiz said to Mikey.

"What about the scar in your neck?" Mikey asked. Ann froze and turned around to face him.

"My… what?" Ann said with a puzzled face.

"Tell her about her how she got that scar" Mrs. Ruiz continued.

"You were hiking and you fell and slashed your neck with a branch. That's how you got that scar" Mikey repeated every word that the ghost told him.

"How do you… No! You're… it can't be!" Ann yelled.

"Tell her about the slumber party" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"Remember the slumber party when you were 17? You were trying on your mother's favorite dress but you split…" Mikey related the memory.

"… soda on it…" Ann whispered ending the phrase.

"Remember what happened next?" Mikey asked.

"Teresa and I tried to clean it before my mom would discover it but… nothing worked…" Ann said chuckling a little.

"And what did she do then?" Mikey insisted.

"She put the dress on her and…" Ann continued.

"… took the blame for you" Mikey ended Ann's statement.

"Everything is… true, you're not lying!… All our memories… everything… but how?" Ann asked still shocked and surprised.

"Listen Ann, I'm not asking you to believe me but your friend needs us… all of us. She won't rest in peace until she knows her son is ok" Mikey said.

"Danny? Of course he's ok! His father takes good care of him and I visit him regularly" Ann said.

"Apparently he's ok, but what she fears the most… is Mr. Ruiz's fiancée" April said.

"Miss Sandoval maybe looks like a heartless woman but she hadn't harm Danny in any way but who really worries me is Mr. Ruiz; he's so kind and gentle, always pleasant with his fiancée and it seems that she takes full advantage of that. It's like she has a power on him! Everything she wants, he gives it to her! He pretends he's happy with her but… I know he deserves better" Ann commented.

"I can't believe his mother chose her to marry his son!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Mrs. Dávila thought her son deserved to be with a woman of his category and Miss Sandoval seemed to be a nice catch; unique daughter of a wealthy man and all that stuff. When Deborah's father passed away she inherited everything" Ann said.

"Well, seems like a very nice catch if ya ask me" Raph teased.

"Ann, did you know about the incident in the hotel?" April asked.

"The police said it was caused by a gas leak. Teresa could probably die for inhaling all the gas or maybe the smoke when the fire started so… it's kind a relief knowing she didn't bur… eh…well… you know..." Ann winced at the creepy statement.

"Do you know if Mr. Ruiz had… enemies?" April asked.

"I don't think so. Like I said, he is too kind and generous with people. He's a gentleman, a good listener, very intelligent, a great father, good loo… er… I mean… eh… in general, he's a good person!" Ann blushed a little.

"Ok, so… what about his fiancée?" Raph asked.

"I'm not so sure about that but… once I heard … her father made a bad inversion and… he almost loses everything" Ann said.

"You think he proposed the idea of marrying his daughter just for Ruiz family's money?" April asked.

"I fear yes. That would explain why she was and is always asking him for more and more things! And… her last credit card bill was like… Whoa! I'd never seen so many zeros behind the 1 in my life" Ann exclaimed.

"Seems like ya know every move of this 'family', don't cha?" Raph asked in suspicion.

"I'm his secretary, duh! I have full access to his bills, passwords and house. Besides… Teresa, he and I were good friends. She was lucky to have such a good man as husband. We always used to tease ourselves saying who would marry him… hehe… yeah, those days were priceless" Ann said smirking slightly at the memories.

"Ok… Ann, it's getting late; you should be home by now. Sorry, seems like we lost track of time" April said.

"Don't worry. It was nice… scary… but nice" Ann chuckled.

"So, can we count with you on this?" Mikey asked.

"Everything for my 'sis'. Don't worry; I'll help you guys… and Teresa… if you're there, of course" Ann answered.

"She says thanks and she trust you will" Mikey passed Mrs. Ruiz's message to her friend.

"I better take ya home, girl. I ain't gonna be watchin' the alleys all night so ya don't get robbed or worse" Raph said sitting on his bike.

"We're going… in a BIKE?" Ann asked terrified.

"What's wrong?" Raph asked.

"Bikes are… dangerous! My brother broke his leg on one of those" Ann said nervously.

"C'mon Ann! Raph is a great racer, you'll be ok" Mikey said smirking friendly.

"O…k… I hope you're right" Ann said not trusting Mikey's smile and sitting behind Raph.

"Hold on tight, girl" Raph said and started the engine.

"AHHHH! N-NOT SO FAAAAST…!" Ann yelled in fear grabbing Raph's waist tightly. April and Mikey laughed at the scene.

"I better get into the copter… I'm tired. Night Mikey" April said with a little yawn.

"Night April" Mikey said. Once he was alone, he sat below the tree again.

"Heh! Your friend is funny" Mikey said to Mrs. Ruiz.

"Yes, she is a nice woman… almost like a sister" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"Did you notice the way she describe him?" Mikey asked with a playful smirk.

"Mhmm… don't tell anyone but I wish she would be Teodoro's fiancée" Mrs. Ruiz commented. Mikey's eyes opened wide.

"What the shell?"

"Why not? She's better than Deborah and you know it" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"Oh, right. That viper" Mikey muttered.

"Watch your words, kid. She may be a viper but she is also a woman. You must show respect towards women" Mrs. Ruiz said in a typical Leo-like voice… in this case, a mother-like voice.

"Why I have the feeling you've been mothering me since you met me?" Mikey chuckled.

"Was I too obvious?" Mrs. Ruiz asked sheepishly.

"Very obvious if you ask me" Mikey answered.

"I can't help it. I was a mother in progress when I died, remember?" Mrs. Ruiz said in a serious tone.

"Ok, ok! No need to be cranky!" Mikey teased.

"No me estoy poniendo gruñona, jovencito!" Mrs. Ruiz said in a very serious tone… almost angry.

"See? When you're angry you start talking in your language" Mikey said.

"Oh… sorry" Mrs. Ruiz apologized blushing a little.

"No need to… Mrs. Ruiz… what Ann said… was it true? Deborah's story"

"Yes… that's why I will not rest until that woman leaves my family alone" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"Couldn't you go and… scare her maybe?" Mikey teased.

"Someone has been watching too many movies"

"Hey!" Mikey said feeling offended while Mrs. Ruiz giggled

"Mrs. Ruiz… you've told me about your life already but… we haven't talked about your death"

"I don't remember many things now. The last thing I can remember was that I sent my husband and my Danny to see his pediatrician and… after a few seconds I started to feel dizzy and I couldn't breathe. When I woke up… I only saw ashes and…" Mrs. Ruiz couldn't continue and sighed heavily.

"I'm so sorry" Mikey said sadly.

"I was lucky to die by asphyxia than burned alive"

"O… k… change of … *yawn*…topic…" Mikey yawned a rubbed his eyes in tiredness.

"You should go to sleep"

"Nuh-huh! I have to… *yawn*… wait for Raphie" Mikey yawned again.

"Your brother will be ok, you need to sleep. I'll take care of him"

"You sure? He can't see you" Mikey remind her.

"But he can feel me instead" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"Uh?" Mikey looked confused now; how that could be possible? "But how?"

"Close your eyes" Mikey did it "Now take a deep breath"

"Mmm… I hadn't noticed your perfume" Mikey said inhaling the sweet essence.

"Well, your brother did" Mrs. Ruiz smirked.

"Hmm… so, he's been …*yawn*…acting, huh?" Mikey said with a very tired voice.

"Mikey, please. Go to sleep, now" Mrs. Ruiz ordered soflty.

"Aww…" Mikey pouted.

"No pienso repetirlo dos veces… go to sleep!" Mrs. Ruiz said in her motherly tone.

"Ok, ok!… Night mom!" Mikey said teasingly.

"Mamá… *sigh*… Danny… si tan solo viniera de ti esa palabra…" Mrs. Ruiz sighed and let a tear roll down her face.

* * *

Two hours later Raph appeared.

"Heh! Looks like everyone's out fer today" Raph commented.

"Heh!… Ya era hora, jovencito! Si tan solo me pudieses escuchar te daría un..." Mrs. Ruiz yelled angrily but knowing he couldn't hear her.

"I know yer here, lady" Raph said. Mrs. Ruiz looked surprised.

"Sorry I'm late. It's kinda hard driving with a scared girl trying to rip my waist in two with her arms!" Raph explained. Mrs. Ruiz giggled.

"I don't know why ya choose mah brother" Raph said "Anyway… I hope this ends well… for Mike's sake. Night lady" Raph said looking at Mrs. Ruiz direction before getting into the copter.

Teresa wasn't sure herself why she had chosen Mikey. Maybe it was destiny, maybe not. Coincidence? Could be. What she did know was that this new friend could be the cure to her restless soul.


	10. Chapter 10

Two more chapters and it's done! ^^ Thanks for all your reviews; once I end this one, I'm gonna focus on MIKEMO! I hope you've checked Love Odyssey and Captive Freedom... those are incredible stories... and I'm not saying that just because I'm the Co-Writer or anything ^^!

Anyway... review and enjoy!

* * *

Things in Long Island had been pretty good so far; April and the others had located Mr. Ruiz and knew a little about his life and Mrs. Ruiz's son; plus, Ann Sadler (Mr. Ruiz's secretary) had accepted to help them. Now, with all this information it was time to call the others. Don had just left the bed when his shell-cell rang.

"Don?"

"Hey April, Leo told me you found the guy" Don said.

"Yeah, but there's more. We met a girl, Ann Sadler. She's Mr. Ruiz's secretary and a family friend. She knows very little about Mrs. Ruiz's death but she offered to help us" April said.

"That's great. April, do you have your laptop there?" Don asked.

"Yeah"

"I'm gonna send you some documents. I need Mikey to read them all and ask his ghost friend about them, ok?"

"What kind of documents?" April asked.

"Leo and Casey found a box with some threatening letters. Maybe Ann or Mrs. Ruiz know something more about them" Don explained while sent the files to April.

"Threatening, huh? You think that could have a connection with the incident in the hotel?"

"Could be. Oh! Another thing, I've been checking the company's schedule; Mr. Ruiz is coming to New York in three days for a conference. Try to stay close to him; whoever killed Mrs. Ruiz could be waiting for him now"

"Ok" April said and hung up. Some minutes later, Mikey woke up.

"Is breakfast ready?" Mikey yawned.

"Mikey, glad you're up. Don needs Mrs. Ruiz to read this letters. I gotta go to the company" April said handing Mikey the laptop with the letters in the screen.

"Ok… no prob. Can you buy some donuts for breakfast before you leave?" Mikey asked.

"Got it" April said and left.

"Thanks, you're an angel" Mikey yelled.

"Sure she is" Mrs. Ruiz said joining Mikey.

"Hey, Mrs. Ruiz! Just the ghost I wanted to see" Mikey said happily.

"O…k… what can I do for you?" Mrs. Ruiz asked.

"Donnie sent me these letters but… they're all in Spanish" Mikey said pointing at the laptop's screen.

"Let me see"

* * *

"_Cometiste un grave error,_

_nunca debiste _

_cruzarte en su_

_camino"_

* * *

"_Te lo advierto, _

_aléjate_

_si quieres _

_seguir viviendo"_

* * *

"Oh, no… no those letters again!" Mrs. Ruiz exclaimed in shock recognizing the letters.

"What do they mean?" Mikey asked in curiosity.

"The two first ones appeared when I started dating Teodoro" Mrs. Ruiz explained.

"What about this one?" Mikey asked showing another letter.

* * *

"_Esta es tu última oportunidad, _

_si sabes lo_

_que te conviene_

_te alejarás de su vida"_

* * *

"That one was sent when Teodoro asked me to marry him" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"And this one?" Mikey showed another letter.

* * *

"_Lamentarás el día en que _

_mezclaste tu sangre_

_con la suya"_

* * *

"That appeared in the flowers Teodoro sent me after Danny was born and the last one… the last one is the worse" Mrs. Ruiz said reading the last letter.

* * *

"_Te quitaré lo que más amas"

* * *

_

"I thought his mother was trying to scare me but… I don't think she could have done something like that. She hated me but… she cared about her grandson"

"So… Danny's grandma could be discarded for now… but what if… what if she told someone else?" Mikey asked to himself.

"How can you say that?" Mrs. Ruiz exclaimed.

"We have to investigate each one of Teodoro's family members and friends just in case" Mikey said.

"Donuts for breakfast!" April said happily appearing with a box full of donuts.

"Yay! I was starving" Mikey said cheerfully grabbing a chocolate donut.

"So, she read the letters already?" April asked.

"Yep, seems like we gotta start talking with Teodoro's mom" Mikey said before giving a big bite to his donut.

"Mrs. Dávila? Hmm… I'll see what I can do but I'm gonna need a fast transport now" April said.

"That won't a problem, April" a new voice joined the conversation. Raph had woken up some minutes ago.

* * *

The red masked ninja disguised himself with the suit and prepared his bike for a new trip.

"Dude, does that thing enough fuel?" Mikey asked.

"More than enough. Now, you stay here and call us if sumthin' happens. I'll go with ya, April" Raph said taking his place in the bike.

"Ok, we'll call you if something happens. If Don or the others call, let us know"

"Count with it" Mikey said. April and Raph left the place and made their way to SkyTech.

* * *

The building was still closed but a red Mercedes Benz was parked in front which meant someone was already in SkyTech.

"You think that's Mr. Ruiz's car?" April asked.

"Could be. I wish Mikey would be here, he's da one who walks with a ghost by his side" Raph said.

_"Él no es el único con habilidades extra, Rafael"_ Mrs. Ruiz had followed the red masked ninja.

She knew that Raph could perceive her perfume and she was gonna take advantage of that. The ghost started to walk in front of him so he could feel the sweet essence. A cold breeze made Raph snap of his thoughts.

"Did ya feel that?" Raph asked.

"What?" April asked back.

_"Sé que puedes sentirme, concéntrate y sigue mi esencia"_ Mrs. Ruiz said and walked away making Raph to follow her.

"That perfume…" Raph mumbled following the ghost.

"Perfume? Raph, are you ok?" April asked again more confused.

Raph followed Mrs. Ruiz thanks to her perfume. The ghost stopped near the place where the car was parked.

"It's stronger in that place… where da car is parked. This is Ruiz's car" Raph said.

"How do you…" April asked but Raph cut her off.

"No time to explain. We gotta go to Ruiz's office" Raph said.

"April? Raphael?" a voice stopped their steps.

"Ann!" April exclaimed recognizing the girl's face.

"What ya doin' here?" Raph asked.

"I… work here, duh! Mr. Ruiz and I are always the first ones to arrive to the company" Ann explained.

"Is that his child?" April asked noticing the little boy asleep in the car.

"Yeah, Mr. Ruiz is gonna take him to the airport in a few hours. He has a conference in three days but he cancelled it" Ann explained.

"How so?" April asked.

"His wedding is in three days, too. The family is going to New York today; they'll be probably arriving this afternoon" Ann added.

"We can't let him go there again!" April said in an alarmed tone.

"Why not?" Ann asked in curiosity.

"My friends found some threatening letters directed to Mrs. Ruiz. Someone planned…"

A new voice joined the scene interrupting April.

"There you are! Mr. Ruiz needs you to go to his office in this moment!" Deborah ordered.

"I'm coming, Miss Sandoval" Ann did was she was told, leaving April and Raph alone with an angry and moody Deborah.

"And you two, if you work here then go inside! If you don't, get the hell outta here!" Deborah yelled making her way to the car. April couldn't stand Deborah's behavior any longer.

"Grrr! She's so…!" April hissed angrily.

"Easy April!" Raph stopped her "I have a plan… Miss Sandoval?" Raph approached Sandoval.

"What do you want? Don't you see I'm busy here?" The woman said angrily.

"We're…eh… Mr. Ruiz's cousins! We knew about his wedding and we wanted to say congrats; it seems that mah cousin choose well this time!" Raph said.

"Well, er… excuse me then… and you're right! His last wife was a terrible mistake but… heh… that's solved now" Deborah said with a smug smile.

"Well… I hope you'll be happy. We gotta go now" Raph said pretending he was gonna leave. Sandoval stopped him.

"Wait! Oh my… where are my manners! Here, I'm sorry for sending you these ones earlier but… Teo didn't mention you before. I hope you can come to the wedding" Deborah said handing him two invitations.

"We'll be there… oh, and one more thing: don't tell him we're gonna be there. We want this to be a… surprise" Raph said with a wink.

"No problem! See ya there!" Sandoval said cheerfully and entered into the car.

The red masked ninja walked to April's direction showing her the invitations with a smug smirk on his face. The latter was open mouthed and speechless.

"Guess what! We're going to a wedding" Raph said.

"Raph… you're such a great liar!" April said chuckling.

"That's part of the ninjas' life" Raph said smugly.

"Well, seems like everything is fine for now. We're leaving to New York in this moment so I suggest you to do the same" Ann appeared.

"That won't be a problem, Ann. Thanks to Raph; we're going to Ruiz's wedding" April said.

"No way! How did you do that?" Ann asked happily.

"Ninja lying skills" Raph answered.

"Eh? Whatever… April, you were gonna tell me something about… some letters?" Ann asked but then her cell-phone rang "Just a sec, please"

"Ann! I'm going to the car now. You have the tickets, right?" Mr. Ruiz asked.

"I gave them to your fiancée, sir" Ann said.

"Good, get into the car and wait there" Mr. Ruiz said and hung up.

"We're leaving now, but I need to know more about those letters!" Ann said.

"We could take you to New York and tell in our way there" April suggested.

"Hmm… ok" Ann dialed her boss' cell-phone's number "Mr. Ruiz? I have something to do first. I'll be in the hotel a little later, ok?... … Thanks sir!" Ann hung up.

"Ok. I guess we're leaving, too" Ann said smirking.

"Ya know I can't ride with two girls in a bike, right?" Raph reminded them.

"I'll call Mikey to pick us in the copter" April said.

"That could be risky; I think I'll take a cab. I still remember where your copter is so… I'll see you there" Ann said and left the place. April and Raph did the same.

* * *

Minutes later everyone was now in the copter making their way to New York. Ann read all the letters and was horrified. Her friend had been threatened since the day she met Teodoro; but how he never knew about those letters? After all, she was his wife! He should have known about them!

"I can't believe it! But… who could have done such a thing like this? There's so much hate in these letters… poor Teresa!" Ann said sadly.

"I compared Deborah's handwriting… no match" April sighed heavily.

"Aww shell!" Mikey sighed in defeat.

"Wait a sec, Mikey. When I talked to her about Mr. Ruiz choosing her as his wife she mentioned Mrs. Ruiz as… a solved problem" Raph said remembering his chit chat with Deborah.

"Do you think…?" Mikey started at him.

"Sumthin's tellin' me we're gonna make the bride confess" Raph said.


	11. Chapter 11

**New York**

**02:10 pm**

**Location: The Lair.**

"Hey guys! We're here!" April greeted as he entered into the lair being followed by Mikey and Raph.

"April? Mikey, Raph?" Leo asked, surprised to see them there so sudden.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were tracking Mr. Ruiz" Don said.

"There's been a change of plans. Mr. Ruiz is getting married in three days and he cancelled his conference" April explained.

"On the other hand, April and I got the invitation for his wedding so we'll be able to talk with the guy and try to convince him… he likes it or not" Raph said cracking his knuckles.

"Why not now?" Leo asked.

"He hasn't arrived yet. Ann gave us the direction of the hotel where he's gonna stay before the ceremony" April said.

"Well, we can't wait for the wedding day. He has to know everything now" Mikey said.

"And how do ya expect this to happen?" Casey asked joining the conversation.

"Ann could help us to convince him! April, he told you he recognizes the ring, right?" Mikey asked remembering their talk with Teodoro.

"Yeah, so?" April asked in confusion.

"So… we just need to call him making up an excuse so he can meet us… or maybe you in this case… and you and Ann must tell him to stop the wedding!" Mikey said in a serious tone.

"Why would he do that? Just because someone appears tellin' im his wife's ghost can't rest in peace doesn't mean he's gonna believe us and cancel everythin'!" Raph said.

"We have to try!" Mikey replied.

"Calm down everybody. I'll call Ann and we're gonna tell Mr. Ruiz everything! Ok?" April said and dialed Ann's number.

"Hello? Ann… it's me, April. Is Mr. Ruiz there? … … ok, here's the thing: you have to take him to my store: 2nd Time Around, you know where it is ? … … Great! ..."

"But April, how am I gonna take him there? What can I say?" Ann asked nervously from the other side of the line.

"I don't know… just…" April's eyes flew to the shinny jewel on his finger "Hmmm… Ann? I know just what are you gonna tell him"

* * *

**Next morning… **

**2 days before the wedding…**

"Mr. Ruiz? May I speak with you?" Ann asked knocking the door softly.

"Sure! What is it, Ann?" Mr. Ruiz said opening the door and letting Ann to get in the room.

"Eh… you should call me by my last name, sir. You know your fiancée doesn't like…" Ann said but Mr. Ruiz interrupted her.

"But she's not here, right? Besides, you're not just a simple employer. You're my friend! The best one, I have to tell" Mr. Ruiz said with a friendly smirk.

"Thanks, Mr…"

"C'mon dear! You know my name!" Mr. Ruiz encouraged Ann.

"Ok… Teodoro…" Ann said sheepishly.

"That's better! Now, what do you want to tell me?" Mr. Ruiz asked.

"Your wedding will be in two days so… I was wondering if… I don't know… maybe you should… buy her something special" Ann said.

"Hmm… I hadn't thought of it. But you're right! It's gonna be a very special day for her and I must make it unforgettable! Just like I did with my beloved Teresa" Mr. Ruiz said looking at the photo in his wallet.

"You don't have any idea how much I miss her, Ann. She was a great friend, a great wife and mother" Mr. Ruiz said sighing heavily and feeling some tears coming to his eyes.

"Yeah… I know how you feel. She was like my big sister sometimes" Ann said with a sad smile.

"Ann, could you keep a secret?" Mr. Ruiz asked looking at Ann with glassy eyes.

"Of course!" Ann said taking a sit beside Mr. Ruiz.

"I… I don't wish to marry Deborah" Mr. Ruiz said almost whispering and lowering his head.

"What?" Ann asked in shock.

"I'm only doing this for my son. He needs a mother… someone who looks after him. My mother won't be here for much longer and… he'll be alone if something happens to me" Mr. Ruiz explained.

"Don't' say such a thing, Teodoro! And… you know you can count with me!" Ann said placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, my dear. But… you will get marry someday; you will have your own kids… I don't want to tie you with a responsibility like that! I don't want Danny to be a charge for you" Mr. Ruiz said sadly.

"I love Danny, Teodoro. When I see him… I see Teresa and that's why I care so much about him! He will never be a charge, don't forget that" Ann said looking firmly at Teodoro's eyes.

"Thanks Ann. You're such a great friend" Mr. Ruiz smiled at her and placing his hand on hers which made her blush.

"Er… well, I… I better leave" Ann stuttered and made her way out f the room "Oh! I almost forgot!" she went back remembering the reason why she was there in first place.

"I know, I know. The present, right? Don't worry; I'll buy her something beautiful"

"I think I have just the thing she might want, my friend"

* * *

**Later in the night…**

"An antiques' shop? Are you sure this is the place?" Mr. Ruiz asked as he parked the car in front of April's shop.

"100% sure" Ann said.

"Well, she loves to collect antiques and that kind of weird stuff. Personally, I'd prefer something more… electronic" Mr. Ruiz said.

The guys were all in April's department, letters and photos ready.

"You ready, guys?"

"Yep, but I hope _he_'s ready" Mikey said referring to Mr. Ruiz.

"Well, wish me luck" April said and went downstairs. The red haired woman took her place just when Mr. Ruiz and Ann entered.

"Good evening, how can I help you?" April greeted them.

"Apr…" Ann was about to talk but April shook her head "no" pretending they'd never met before.

"Er… I mean, eh… you're the owner of this shop?" Ann asked.

"Yes, I am. Are you looking for something?" April continued with her plan.

"I think… haven't I see you before? Well… it's hard to know with all the people I have to see at work but… anyway… I'm getting married in two days and I want to give my fiancée something… I don't know… special" Mr. Ruiz said.

"Hmmm… something special. You know, there's nothing more special than a beautiful jewel. And I think I have just the one you need" April said showing him Teresa's ring. Mr. Ruiz's eyes opened wide when he recognized the jewel.

"This is… but… it can't be!"

"Is something the matter, sir?" April asked innocently.

"Now I remember where I saw you before! Your name is April O' Neil! You were in my company a couple of days ago and you were using this ring which I have to tell… is the same I gave to…" before Mr. Ruiz could end the phrase April interrupted him.

"Your wife; I know"

"Wait a second… how do you… and what you were… but…" Mr. Ruiz stuttered; his eyes flew directly to his secretary.

"Ann, what is the meaning of this?"

"Guys, I think is time" April said to a little speaker she had hidden on her sweater.

"Time? For what?" Mr. Ruiz asked nervously.

Before he could react Raph appeared from behind and placed a wet cloth covering Mr. Ruiz's mouth and nose. The latter fell asleep immediately.

"Did you have to do that?" Ann asked a little angry.

"Nah! I thought he wouldn't cooperate so…" Raph said.

* * *

With the help of the others, Raph took Mr. Ruiz to April's apartment and placed him in the sofa 'til the chloroform effects passed off. It was 2:00 am and Mr. Ruiz hadn't waked up yet which was worrying everyone.

"Exactly how many bottles of that thing ya stuck in da guy's nose, dude?"

"Shut up, Casey" Raph said grumpily.

"Guys, you won't believe this" Don said suddenly. Everyone surrounded him staring at the computer.

"What is it, Don?" Leo asked.

"There's a possibility that all the letters had been written by Sandoval"

"That's impossible!" April exclaimed.

"Not when you're ambidextrous" Don added.

"Ambi-what?" Mikey asked with a puzzled face.

"It's a person who can write with both hands, Mikey" Don sighed a little exasperated.

"And you say that because…?" April asked.

"In all the letters, the "l" and the "e" shape is the same. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not" Don explained.

"So, Deborah is ambidextrous?" Raph asked.

"Your friend could be right; I've seen her while she writes; her handwriting is different every time she switches hands… except for the "l" and the "e"… is always the same" Ann said and looked at the computer's screen.

"Hmmm… according to the inclination… I would say this was right handed written but I'm not so sure. Mr. Ruiz is the only one who can tell us that" Ann added.

"And it's snoring like a chainsaw! Thanks Raph!" Mikey said sarcastically.

"Keep it up, knucklehead and I'll make ya drink a gallon of that chloroform!" Raph said angrily.

"Guys, guys, I think he's waking up!" Casey said noticing Mr. Ruiz had begun to stir.

"Mr. Ruiz?" Ann moved to Mr. Ruiz's side.

"Nnn… cinco minutos más, mamá" Mr. Ruiz mumbled.

"Mr. Ruiz!" Ann said raising her voice a little making the latter to wake up.

"EH! WHAT, WHERE, WHEN…! Eh… where… where am I?" Mr. Ruiz asked looking at his surroundings as he stood up.

"Mr. Ruiz, you ok?" April asked.

"Yeah… I think so but I think I'm still dreaming… I'm seeing giant turtles!" Mr. Ruiz said noticing the guys' presence.

"Eh… yeah!… You're still…" Mikey tried to make up a lie but Raph flicked his forehead "Ow! Hey!"

"I fear you're not dreaming, Mr. Ruiz and you better sit down; we have a lot to talk" April said.

* * *

**Later… **

**5:35 am**

**1 day before the wedding…**

"So, let me get this right… you're friend here can sees and talks to my wife's ghost?" Mr. Ruiz asked looking at Mikey.

"Uh-huh" April nodded.

"She wants to see our son so she can go away?" Mr. Ruiz continued.

"Yeah" Mikey said.

"And… she's worried because I'm gonna marry Deborah?"

"Affirmative" Ann said.

"And you think Deborah has something to do with the hotel's incident?"

"For cryin' out loud, man! Do ya need to repeat everythin'?" Raph said losing his patience.

"Just one more thing… Why I have the feeling that this is just a really bad joke? Though I have to admit your friends' costumes are almost real" Mr. Ruiz said.

"Leo, please stop me before I end up doin' sumthin' drastic here" Raph said cracking his knuckles.

"Hold it, tough guy. Teodoro, I know this is crazy but everything is true! You have to believe them, you have to believe me!" Ann said with pleading eyes.

"This is ridiculous! I know Deborah is kinda crazy and moody sometimes but that doesn't mean she's an assassin! She could never do something like that… killing my wife, heh! Besides, the police said it was a gas leak!" Mr. Ruiz said.

"And it was! But someone caused it!" Ann replied.

"And you think that "someone" is Deborah, huh?" Mr. Ruiz replied back with an angry tone and turning around so he was facing the window.

"Mr. Ruiz, before you say something more… please tell us if you recognize this" April said showing the half burned silver box which contained the letters.

"Of course I recognize that!" Mr. Ruiz exclaimed as he turned around again but his eyes opened wide when he saw the object on April's hands.

"That's…" Mr. Ruiz stared blankly at the box; the words seemed to have abandoned him.

"Well?" April insisted.

"That's Teresa's… Teresa's… but how?" Mr. Ruiz asked with a confused face.

"My brother found it in the destroyed hotel. Luckily it wasn't so burned so we could find this" Mikey said showing the letters.

"Those are all threatening letters directed to your wife, Mr. Ruiz. Someone wasn't pleased with your relationship since you and Teresa started dating 'til the day your kid was born" Don added.

"Still, that doesn't prove Deborah's guilty" Mr. Ruiz sighed slumping heavily in the sofa.

"She's ambidextrous, right?" Don asked.

"Yes, so what?" Mr. Ruiz asked.

"You should take a look of the letters and tell us if that's your fiancée's handwriting" Mikey said handing Mr. Ruiz the letters.

The papers had been degraded by the time, fire and other natural factors but they were still readable. Mr. Ruiz took the papers one by one and compared them with the wedding invitation April and Raph got from Sandoval. And then…

"It… it can't be… y-you're… you're right! Deborah… she… she…"

"I'm so sorry, Teodoro" Ann said placing her hand on Ruiz's shoulder.

"She killed my Teresa… she… she… and… and I'm gonna… God! I think I'm getting sick" Mr. Ruiz stuttered.

"It's not too late. You can stop this!" April said.

"She must pay for what she did! But… we have not enough proves! The police will never believe me if I tell them" Mr. Ruiz said.

"That won't be necessary" Mikey said joining the conversation.

"Why do you say that, Mikey?" April asked.

"Why should he tell the police… when his fiancée can do it herself!" Mikey explained. Everyone started at him with confused looks.

"Eh… Mikey, we're not so sure what are you talking about. Even _I_ am confused now!" Don said.

"I know Sandoval's weakness and it's gonna be quite useful this time" Mikey said with a playful grin on his face.

"Sandoval's weakness?" Ann asked now totally confused.

"Definitely no idea what you're talking about, dufus" Raph said.

"Let's just say… a friend of mine told me" Mikey said looking at his left side where certain ghost was looking at him with a smile on her face.

"Here's what we're gonna do…" Mikey said and started to make up a plan.

The puzzle's pieces were all in place now… well, almost. Now… all they had to do was get ready for the wedding and this time the only words that would come out from the bride weren't exactly going to be "I do"

* * *

ONE MORE CHAPTER AND WE'RE DONE WITH THIS! ^^ I never thought this story would be so long and full of mystery! Believe me I'd never writen something like this in my life!

Reviews please ^^!


	12. Chapter 12

**New York**

**13:30 pm**

**Location:**** The Kitano Hotel**

**The Wedding Day**

The musicians started to play the Wedding March as the bride entered into the place. Everyone admired and commented Deborah's beautiful dress and jewels. All Mr. Ruiz's relatives were there… including Mr. Ruiz's "cousins"; Raph had switched places with Mikey so his ghost friend could be there too. Ann was behind Mr. Ruiz; Deborah didn't accept Ann as his maid of honor so Mr. Ruiz suggested her to be his "best lady".

"Ready, Mr. Ruiz" Ann asked.

"Yeah… well, maybe…, eh… not at all but… ok, I give. I'm not ready for this" Mr. Ruiz sighed.

"Relax, everything's gonna be ok. Just stick to the plan and don't be nervous" Ann calmed him.

"I'll try, dear" Mr. Ruiz said. He took his bride's hand and the Minister started the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church: which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence and first miracle that he wrought in Cana of Galilee, and is commended of Saint Paul to be honorable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace" No one said a word.

"We shall continue, then" the Minister said. When he was about to talk again, Mr. Ruiz whispered something to the Minister's ear.

"Oh! Dearly beloved, the groom has prepared his own votes" the Minister said. Mr. Ruiz faced his bride and took her hands.

"Deborah, you have been a great woman and I'm honored you accepted to be with me forever. I love your beauty, your intelligence, and most importantly… your sincerity. I know I can trust in you and for that…" Mr. Ruiz said pulling out the ring… Teresa's ring.

"… I give you this ring as the symbol of our trust in each other" Mr. Ruiz said.

"Aww sweetie! You didn't have to" Sandoval said. But when she looked at the ring, her face became pale.

"H-honey… where did you get that ring?" Deborah said smiling nervously.

"I bought it" Mr. Ruiz said innocently.

"Yeah, well…obviously! But… how did you g-get it?" Deborah insisted.

"It is something the matter, love?" Mr. Ruiz asked softly. The guests had started to mumble about the weird scene.

"N-no… I… is just… er…" Deborah started sweating cold. She lifted her gaze to see Mr. Ruiz but she saw something else… or should I say… someone?

"N-no… not you!" Deborah mumbled looking at the figure behind Ruiz.

"Deborah?" Mr. Ruiz asked again.

"Mikey, what's going on?" April whispered.

"Eh… April? Seems like I'm not the only who can see her now" Mikey said noticing that Deborah could also see Teresa.

"Is everything ok?" the Minister asked in concern.

"Yes, Minister. She's just… nervous, right honey face?" Mr. Ruiz asked

"Y-yeah… yeah could be" Deborah said. When she was about to take the ring…

"No te atrevas" Mrs. Ruiz said angrily.

"AHHHH! Leave me alone!" Deborah screamed in fear.

"Mr. Ruiz, I suggest you to…" the Minister interfered but was cut off by an angry Deborah.

"No! We're gonna get married now! And YOU are NOT gonna stop me, Teresa! … …*gasp*…" Sandoval gasped realizing what she had just said.

"Gotcha!" Mikey murmured.

" … er… eh… I mean…" Deborah tried to excuse herself.

"Mommy?" Danny said happily.

"Danny? Sweetie, what are you saying?" Danny's grandma asked.

"It's mommy! There! Behind Miss Sandoval!" Danny said pointing at Deborah's place.

"Deborah, do you want to tell me something?" Mr. Ruiz asked. He already knew the truth but he needed her to talk.

"Me separaste de mi hijo!" Mrs. Ruiz said.

"No! Leave me!" Deborah yelled covering her ears.

"¿Por qué, Deborah? Por qué?" Mrs. Ruiz insisted.

"Ann, call the security now" Mr. Ruiz ordered to his secretary.

"Why Deborah?" Mrs. Ruiz asked with pleading eyes.

"Wanna now why, huh? Wanna now WHY? Because YOU took what it was supposed to be mine! You took Teodoro away from me, you ruined my life! And I ruined yours! HAHAHAHA! I RUINED YOURS!" Deborah yelled to the place in the corner of the wall where Teresa was standing.

"Deborah! You're talking nonsense!" Mrs. Dávila said angrily.

"He was mine, he was always mine! But you had to appear on his life; his mother chose ME, not YOU! When you married him I had to do something so he could be mine again!" Deborah yelled.

"Deborah, you have gone mad! Who are you talking to?" Mrs. Dávila asked.

"Grandma, she's talking to mom" Danny said.

"Your mom? But she's…"

"DEAD! YES, YOU. ARE. DEAD. TERESA! DEAD, DEAD, DEAD! And you know why? Because I killed you! I caused your death!" Deborah said dryly with a smirk on her face.

"Jesus Christ!" the Minister exclaimed, horrified by the woman's confession.

"D-Deborah… y-you… but…" Mrs. Dávila stuttered in shock.

"That's right, Mrs. Dávila! I solved your problem! I erased her from our life!" Sandoval said causing the guests to gasp and mumble comments of disagreement.

"You started the fire?" Mrs. Dávila asked still not believing Sandoval's words.

"Heh! It was easier than I thought…"

* * *

_**FLASHBACK…**_

"Teodoro, el pediatra llamó. Quiere ver a Danny para su chequeo / _Teodoro, the pediatrician called. He wants to see Danny for his chekup" Teresa said._

"Es un poco tarde para un chequeo, no? / _Isn't it a little late for a chekup?" Teodoro asked._

"Sólo son las 5:00 pm. No es tan tarde / _It's only 17:00. It's not that late" Teresa said softly._

"De acuerdo, de acuerdo. Regresaremos pronto. Danny, dile adiós a mamá / _Alright, alright. We'll be back soon. Danny, say bye to mommy!" Teodoro said taking the baby in his arms and waving his tiny hand._

"Hehehe… adiós Danny. Ve con cuidado, cariño. Te amo / _Hehehe… bye Danny. Be careful, honey. I love you" Teresa said and kissed his husband._

"También te amo, Teresa / _Love you too, Teresa" Teodoro said kissing her back._

_Two hours later, Teresa was reading when a strange but familiar smell surrounded the place. The woman started to cough and gasp for the lack of fresh air; Teresa stumbled and fell the floor. Before she closed her eyes, the door opened revealing Sandoval's silhouette. _

"Eso se ganan por no escuchar mis advertencias. Adiós para siempre, Teresa / _That's what you got for not listening to warnings. Farewell forever, Teresa" Deborah hissed._

_Before this, Teresa's body went limp. Sandoval bent down, took off Teresa's ring and left the room. Once she closed the door behind her, the blond woman lighted on a cigarette and dropped it near the door. Three weeks later, the ring was sold to a local jewelry in New York._

_**END OF FLASBACK**_

* * *

"I wouldn't have done that if you had read my letters!" Deborah said.

"Wait… the letters were for… me?" Mr. Ruiz asked in shock.

"All of them! I was destroyed when your mother told me about your marriage! I had to take my revenge!" Sandoval yelled.

"Killing the mother of my grandson is your idea for revenge?" Mrs. Dávila interfered.

"You hated her!" Deborah argued.

"I never hated her. I was… just trying to protect my son. I thought she wanted him for his money but she proved my theory wrong" Mrs. Dávila said with little tears on her eyes.

"And now… I regret all the things I told her. She didn't deserve a death like that" Mrs. Dávila ended.

"If you wanted to kill Teodoro then… why did you accept to marry him?" Ann asked.

"Guess who wanted your money, darling?" Deborah said with an evil smirk on her face and looking at Mr. Ruiz.

"Is everything ok, sir?" the police man asked as they entered into the scene.

"Take that woman to the police station. The charges? Murder; and don't worry… I have plenty of proves" Mr. Ruiz ordered.

Two policemen took Sandoval who struggled with them trying to free herself from their grips, failing miserably.

"Take your hands off of me! Let me go! Let me go… CURSE YOU, TERESA!" Deborah yelled, her voice fading as the policemen took her out of the room.

* * *

**Later…**

**17:45 pm**

Once the guests left the hotel; only Ruiz, his mother and son; Ann, April and Mikey stayed in the now empty ballroom.

"Well, I guess is over now" Mr. Ruiz sighed in relief.

"Not yet. You know what we have to do now, Mr. Ruiz" Mikey said.

"Daddy, mommy is behind you. She's smiling at me!" Danny said cheerfully.

"Is she still here?" Ann asked. Mikey nodded.

"So… what now?" Mr. Ruiz asked. One hour later, they found themselves in the place where all started.

"Oh dear… this place… poor Teresa!" Mrs. Dávila exclaimed, horrified by the creepy scene she was seeing.

"It's ok, mom. She'll be ok now" Mr. Ruiz calmed his mom.

"What are you talking about, son?" Mrs. Dávila asked in confusion.

"You'll see it soon, mom"

"Well Mrs. Ruiz, as I promised… your family is safe now" Mikey said.

"Thank you so much, Mikey. Sorry for all the problems I caused you and your family" Teresa thanked him.

"No biggie… I'm happy to help" Mikey said smirking.

"What is she saying, Mikey?" Ann asked.

"Mommy says she loves you, daddy! And she loves me, too!" Danny said.

"Seems like your kid is better giving his mom's messages" Mikey chuckled.

"What else, Danny?" Mr. Ruiz asked to his son.

"Grandma, mommy says she loves you too and thanks you for taking care of me" Danny added.

"Ann… Teresa wants to thank you, too… for being there for her family" Mikey said.

"You're welcome, Teresa" Ann said wiping little tear on her cheek.

"Mr. Ruiz, your wife wants only one person to use that ring" Mikey said placing the ring on Ann's hand.

"M-me? But…" Ann stuttered.

"Ann, you will be a great woman for Teodoro. I know it" Mrs. Ruiz said.

Suddenly, a light illuminated the room and after a few seconds… Teresa's human form appeared; she was dressed with her pink shirt and the blue long skirt. Her hair was long and brown and she had a rosary on her neck… just like the first time Mikey saw her.

"TERESA?" everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"B-but… how?" Mikey stuttered.

"It is my time to leave, Mikey" Teresa explained softly.

"Teresa… my Teresa…you're as beautiful as always" Mr. Ruiz said, his voice breaking a little for the mixed emotions he felt in that moment.

"Thanks honey… but now… you have someone else who might want to hear those sweet words of yours" Teresa said looking at Ann.

"Ann, please… take care of them. You two will be a great couple" Teresa said. Ann and Teodoro looked at each other for a moment before holding hands.

"Mrs. Dávila… thanks for everything" Teresa continued. The latter nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Danny…" Teresa kneeled in front of his son and gave him a lovingly smile.

Mommy… please don't go" Danny said.

"I will not go, sweetie. I will be always watching you, ok? I love you" Teresa said a kissed his son's forehead.

"Love you too, mommy" Danny said.

Teresa walked near the window and looked at them for the last time. Just after the sunset, a white door opened in front of her. Teresa waved at her family and friends and entered.

"This place is so beautiful!" She exclaimed before the light disappeared. Teresa Ruiz was now in peace.

"Farewell… my love" Mr. Ruiz whispered letting the tears roll down his face. Ann hugged him trying to sooth him. That night, the family prepared for going back to Long Island.

"I'm gonna miss you. Thanks for everything" Ann said.

"Take care, Ann" April said. Ann and the Ruiz family entered into the car and made their way to the airport.

"What now, Mikey?" April asked.

"I don't know… but one thing is for sure… I won't go to an abandoned house for now. I'm done being a ghost whisperer! Such an exhausting job… makes me hungry. Speaking of that… how about some pizza?" Mikey asked cheerfully.

"You'll never grow up, will you?" April chuckled.

"Never in the life! Besides… being a kid has its advantages!" Mikey said with a wide smile on his face.

"Like talking to ghosts?" April asked teasingly making Mikey's smile to disappear.

"Eh? Aww shell! I NEED TO GROW UP!" Mikey yelled in despair.

"Oh really?" April raised an eyebrow.

"Nah! Hehe!" Mikey laughed. Both, human and turtle made their way home were the others waited… impatient to hear the whole story and of course… with a big slice of pizza.

* * *

THE END!

Thanks for all your reviews, I really appreciate them! I put the english translation to the spanish dialogue to make it easier to read.

See ya soon in my new story: MIKEMO!

WITH LOVE:

WHO

Ps: Check out the Valentine's Day fic! Valentine is not only for lovers... is all that I'm gonna say for now!


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